


The Galaxy in Your Eyes

by negaii



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Space, Angst, Cultural Differences, Drama, Fluff and Smut, Friendship, Gen, Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Romance, Royalty, Stars
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-08-14 03:25:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 50,965
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7996876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/negaii/pseuds/negaii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ohno catches a falling star.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> 02/11/17: Wow! It's finally done! It took me forever to finish writing it. This fic was written because I felt that there wasn't enough Yama at the time, and that I wanted to challenge myself to a chapter fic. I hope you enjoy the story. Many thanks to the betas who looked over this for me, and to the readers who stayed and followed Ohno's and Sho's love story from beginning to end. It's not a perfect story by any means, but I hope you will like it anyway. :)
> 
> Lyrics are taken from yarukizero's translation. People say surname first then given name, but everyone calls each other by their given name.

 

_I wonder why we make wishes on shooting stars_  
_Even though they disappear into the far reaches of space_  
_Under the night sky, you murmured_  
_I wonder if wishes are just fleeting_  
**

“Ah… the sky is clear tonight.”

Ohno grabs his glass jar from the side of the doorway and closes the door of the dark house behind him. It's a beautiful night, and Ohno thinks there's a very good possibility he’ll catch plenty of stars tonight.

Stars love to live in clusters, and living in the outskirts of the Aquarius constellation, Ohno sees them quite frequently.

Today he's going star-fishing because his house’s power supply is running low; Ohno needs to make sure he catches a few of them tonight, so he can utilize enough power to last for another month. Catching the falling stars can be quite disappointing because many people don't have a lot of luck doing so. But where Ohno lives, the stars are abundant, and Ohno likes how the task puts him at ease—it’s also his way of making a living. Ohno catches stars and sells them to the townsfolk down in the village. Technically, _anyone_ can catch stars, but Ohno seems to have more luck than most in this regard.

Whistling a tune as he makes his way down to the edge of the cliff, Ohno looks back up at the sky as he loosens the collar of his shirt. The outskirts of Aquarius is beautiful, a place he has called his home for the past five years. Aquarius is a constellation surrounded by water, and the only constellation to have the bluest skies in this galaxy (however, nothing will ever beat the skies of the Sunflower Galaxy— it’s one of his favourite galaxies to visit). While the capital may have the brightest skies in this part of the galaxy, Ohno loves the twilight of Aquarius in the evening, and the vast dark sky of the midnight. It is also the only constellation that gets to see most of the stars that come and go.

Humming a tune to himself, Ohno walks a little faster when he sees shooting stars flying across the sky as the fall toward their destination. Ohno pauses for a moment to take in the view. Being on land is something he will always appreciate, and Ohno likes the solidarity of having two feet on the ground, but Ohno does miss sailing through the stars. Seeing the stars up close on a ship is much different than looking up at them from below. To travel the vast skies in search of a new destination and culture has always been exciting, and it had been something Ohno has liked doing before.

 _But you can't have everything, eh?_ Ohno thinks to himself as he finally reaches the edge of the cliff where the water is calm and dark below. It's best not to dwell on the past now.

Looking into the water, Ohno still has no idea how the constellation planet works, but it is truly a wonder to behold. Aquarius seems to have some gravitational force that holds up the water that surrounds the constellation, giving it abundant wildlife. It is also the least populated constellation due to its more natural environment and being less developed as the other constellations, but Ohno enjoys the quiet.

Today, he will be fishing for three stars. Three stars are enough to power to last a month. If he’s lucky, Ohno can catch two big ones instead of three small ones to get the task done easily. Putting his glass jar down, Ohno repositions his fishing rod in his right hand and sits down on the grass. He grabs some string from his pocket and quickly inserts it through the holes of his rod before finally casting the line over the side of the cliff and into the waters.

There is also something unique about this constellation that differs from the others in this galaxy: the stars always fall into the ocean, permitting them to always be caught when fishing for them. It's much safer because the stars tend to cool down a bit by then, and since there are always stars falling in every night, Ohno always gets a catch.

Ohno continues humming his song, a song he has learned several years ago in the Andromeda Galaxy. The royals there had been so enamoured with his voice that they had ask him to learn one of their most beloved songs. Ohno likes to sing, so why not? He had spent three days learning the lyrics and the melody and had been given the honour of performing it at their daughter's wedding. _I wonder how Satomi-chan is doing?_ Ohno wonders as he stares down at the water. The sweet princess had been a lot of fun to work with, showing him everything their capital constellation had to offer. Ohno had not wanted to leave, but his cousin had finished with negotiations and they had to leave a week later.

Ohno snaps out of his reminiscing when he feels pressure on the hook. He immediately pulls the fishing rod out of the water. Sure enough, a bright fallen star is caught onto his hook. He gently drops the hook into the glass jar, letting the star drop inside, and watches in admiration as it emanates a bright glow before it dims again. Taking out the gloves in his pocket, Ohno gently removes the star from his hook before placing the lid back on top of the jar.

Ohno picks up the jar and inspects his first catch of the night. “One down, two more to go,” he says cheerfully before putting the jar back down beside him and takes off his gloves. Humming the song again, he casts the line back into the water, watching as it bobs in the water.

His second catch goes pretty much the same as the first one, coming just a little easier as the stars are falling more rapidly now. “There's nothing of significance going on now…” Ohno mumbles to himself, a little bewildered at all the falling stars tonight. There seems to be more than the usual falling in the sky. It's not really unheard of, but it’s definitely not a common phenomenon either.

Ohno can’t really complain though; he manages to catch his third star ten minutes later, and it’s definitely the biggest and brightest of the bunch. “Perfect!” He exclaims happily as he examines the jar. The three stars are stacked on top of each other, their bright glow filling the jar, giving off a white shine in the night. “That hardly took any time at all.”

Packing up his belongings, Ohno heads back to his home, watching the night sky as he makes his way up the hill to his tiny house. The falling stars have lessened from earlier, but Ohno wonders if there’s something happening in the capital. When he makes it to the front porch of his house, he drops his fishing rod on the tiny bench he has made out of the blue during one of Aiba’s and Jun’s visit to Aquarius.

Holding the jar with both hands, Ohno makes his way to the side of the house. There’s a ladder leaning against the house and he gives it a small shake before climbing up the steps. When he reaches the roof, Ohno gently places the jar encased with stars on the rooftop and gets out his gloves. Not wanting to cause another starburn incident like last time, Ohno quickly pulls on the gloves before grabbing the jar again. Reaching over to grab the latch on his roof, Ohno quickly pulls it open to reveal a small power generator below. Working quickly, he unscrews the lid of the jar and dumps the three stars inside the generator and shuts the latch tightly. Climbing back down, Ohno makes his way to the front of the house and waits.

The house gives a small hum as it begins to harness the energy of the stars he just caught, and suddenly the house is illuminated with bright light. Ohno gives a small satisfied smile and pulls his gloves off, dumping it on the bench and makes his way back inside. He places the now empty jar on top of the kitchen counter and rubs his eyes.

“Ah, so tired…” he mumbles as he starts heading towards his bedroom to get ready for bed. He quickly strips himself of his star-catching attire to a more casual one for sleeping and quickly turns off the light, illuminating the room with the brightness of the stars from the night sky. Ohno turns his head and looks out of the bay window of his room. When he had first built the house, he had installed a bay window on the left of his bed so that he can have a magnificent view of the night sky. It serves as a reminder of the home and life he has left behind several years ago.

Ohno observes the skies now—the view is incredible. The skies have calmed down, and there are only a few stars dancing in the night now. Ohno hopes that the stars tomorrow will be plentiful in number. He has an order for fifteen stars by Yamamoto-san to complete, and he needs to deliver them that same evening. Yawning, Ohno snuggles deeper into his pillow and closes his eyes, letting sleep wash over him.

 

Ohno jolts awake a few hours later to loud pounding on his front door. Grumbling, Ohno is trying to ignore it, but the pounding seems to get louder the more he tries to go back to sleep. Sighing to himself, he quickly throws the covers off. The pounding is now frantic, and this makes him a little wary. Who can it be, especially at this hour of the night? Grabbing a wooden cane from his tiny art studio, Ohno approaches the door. He tries to hear for any suspicious sounds outside, but all he can hear is the frantic pounding of his door. “Geez, you’re going to break it…” he mumbles and pulls the door open. “Hey, you know the door is fragile— eh?!”

Ohno stares at the person in front of him in astonishment. Standing before him, dressed in commoner clothes (a sight to behold on this person for sure) is the crowned prince of the Milky Way Galaxy, Sakurai Sho. Ohno has never seen him in person before, but he has seen pictures of the man in the weekly newspapers that get distributed to his doorstep.

The crowned prince is as handsome as the rumours say, and beautiful as the pictures show. Sakurai Sho isn’t beautiful in a feminine sense, but there’s a kind of prettiness that is reflected in his face that Ohno can see why the women of this galaxy fawn over him. Ohno blinks as he stares at the panting man in front of him. “Your high—”

“Oh, thank god someone was home! I saw light at this house earlier so I ran here!” The prince looks behind him with a panicked expression before turning back to Ohno, who feels a little confused at the entire situation. What is a prince doing at his front door step, especially dressed in the clothes of the commoner? “Please, I beg of you, er—”

“Samejima Satoshi,” Ohno supplies helpfully. Sho chuckles nervously.

“Right. Satoshi-san, please, may I stay the night? I promise I will be out of your hair tomorrow morning.” Ohno stares at the pleading look on the prince’s face, and how can he say no to that? The prince looks like he’s going to pass out on his feet. Nodding and taking a step back, Ohno ushers the prince in.

“Sure. I apologize, the house isn’t fit for a guest at the moment, your highness,” he says as he shuts the door behind them. “Oh, and you can just call me Satoshi.” The prince shakes his head and tilts his head in thanks.

“Not at all. I’m sorry for the intrusion, Satoshi-kun. I know it is all very sudden. I apologize for disturbing your slumber.” The man looks so guilty at having woken him up, a frown on his lips. “And your name is Satoshi? That's a very majestic name.”

Ohno smiles and shakes his head. Ohno thanks the lucky stars that Samejima is a common surname in this galaxy. On the other hand, Satoshi isn't as common, but it's not out of the left field to have the name of the princes from the neighbouring galaxies in the west star systems. He also finds it interesting how the prince decides to call him with _kun_ instead of _san_ , not that he minds of course. Ohno has never bothered with formality and titles, even back home (to his cousin’s eternal amusement and parents’ dismay).

“It’s fine. Your highness, you can have the bed if you wish? I’m okay sleeping on the couch tonight,” Ohno offers as he shows the prince through the tiny house. Ohno notes that the prince is carrying a small pack on his back, and Ohno wonders if he’s— no. He’s not going to think about it now. Even if all the signs point to the prince running away, surely that’s not possible, _right?_

Sakurai Sho, crowned prince of the Milky Way Galaxy, has been groomed to be king since the day of his birth. Being part of one of the more prominent galaxies in the universe, Sakurai Sho is a familiar name across the star systems. Ohno has heard the Sakurai name a few times during his travels across the stars in the past, the royal family being famous for ruling one of the most powerful galaxies in the star system. The Milky Way Galaxy is known for having one of the most populated galaxies, and one of the biggest armies in the star system. Despite their vast military power, the Milky Way Galaxy is also one of the most peaceful compared to the other galaxies.

The capital of the Milky Way Galaxy is Sagittarius. Ohno has only been there a few times: once when he was a child and travelling with his family, and a few times with Aiba and Jun when they were registering their ship for repairs and buying supplies. It's a very vibrant and cheery city.

The palace of Sagittarius is beautiful. The foundations of the palace is made from the finest marble derived from Taurus, and there are millions of stars decorating the skies during the day and night. In comparison, Aquarius has darker skies, but more falling stars dancing through them instead of twinkling in one spot. Sagittarius is also very hot in climate, since it's located so close to the centre, and Ohno doesn't exactly like the heat. The Sakurai royalty reside right in the middle of it, ruling over the rest of the galaxy.

Sho colours at the mention of taking Ohno’s bed. “Ah, oh… it's fine. I intruded in the first place anyway. I can—”

“Your highness, I can't exactly let someone of your status sleep in a mere commoner’s couch, can I?” Ohno teases and shakes his head. “It's alright, my couch is pretty comfortable anyway.” The prince gives him a smile and Ohno has to wonder how many hearts has this guy broken. The prince is dashing, even in commoner clothes (Ohno really can’t help but notice this every time he looks at him). He actually thinks the prince is more dashing in commoner clothes than his royal kimonos.

“Crowned Prince, here we are.” Ohno pushes the door to his bedroom open and turns on the light. “I'm afraid it's not as big as the bed you’re used to, but I think this should be suitable for you to sleep in tonight.”

Prince Sho drops his pack on the floor beside the bed and walks over to the bay window. “The view is gorgeous from here,” he says quietly. Ohno doesn't say anything and watches as the prince stares out at the dark starry sky. Finally, the prince turns around and gives Ohno a small bow, to which Ohno quickly returns. “Thank you, Satoshi-kun, I really appreciate your hospitality.”

“Ah, not at all. Have a good night, Prince Sho.” Sho nods in reply.

“Good night, Satoshi-kun.”

The next morning is a quiet affair. Ohno wakes at the crack of dawn and starts on getting breakfast ready for the day. The prince shows no sign of being awake as there are no sounds of activity coming from his bedroom, and Ohno assumes the prince probably sleeps in ‘til noon. Pouring hot water into his tea, Ohno lets himself bask in the quietness of his kitchen.

Ohno has figured the prince actually will not wake up in the morning as he had said the night before. _Some habits are hard to break_ he thinks in amusement as he takes small sips of tea.

When he finishes the rest of it, Ohno decides to head down to the village to grab some breakfast. He doesn't have any ingredients in his fridge at the moment, and Ohno supposes he should grab some food for himself and maybe some for Prince Sho for his “travels.”

Humming to himself, Ohno grabs his coin pouch and quietly makes his way out the front door, taking care to not wake the sleeping man in his room. His house is a bit of a walk from the village, so Ohno starts jogging to reach it faster. _It wouldn't do to have a hungry prince in the morning_ he thinks with a chuckle.

When he finally reaches the village gates, Ohno decides to head for the onigiri stand. Onigiri is filling, convenient for travelling, and Hanae’s onigiris are the best. As he weaves through the crowd, he greets several people he knows. Yuka-chan, one of his first star customers, greets him with a smile and gives him an apple as he walks by her fruit stand.

When he finally reaches Hanae’s little stall, the woman is chatting with Shizuka-san, a nice little old lady who always compliments him on his tiny sketches. Hanae spots him as he makes he way over and gives him a wide grin.

“Hi, Satoshi-kun!” She greets cheerfully. Suzuki-san turns around to give him a small greeting, which he returns with a small bow of his own. “Fancy some onigiris today?”

“How did you know?” He asks, turning back to her with a grin.

She winks at him. “Of course I do. You can’t get enough of them, I know that for a fact.”

“I can’t say that you’re wrong about that,” he replies as he looks at the food display in serious contemplation. “What kinds do you have today?”

“Today, we are serving _yaki_ onigiri, onigiri with salmon, and onigiri with bonito flakes. Since it’s warm out, we went with light recipes today. Suzuki-san just bought one with bonito flakes.”

Shizuka nods. “They smell so delectable! I can’t wait to try.”

Smiling at her, Ohno examines the food once more before looking up at Hanae. “Hmmm… sounds good. I’ll take two of each then.”

“Wow, that many?” Hanae asks in surprise but proceeds to complete his order by putting on her gloves and grabbing a plastic container. Ohno shrugs.

“I’m feeling a little hungry today, and it’s going to be a late night.”

“Star fishing today?” Hanae asks with a giggle. Ohno nods in amusement. The other girl likes to call it “star fishing” as opposed to the actual term, star catching. _Why do we call it star catching when you are actually fishing the stars?_ She had once said with great amusement. Ohno can’t disagree with that.

Once his order is wrapped and paid for, Ohno bids Hanae and Shizuka-san goodbye before heading back home. When he opens the door to his house, Prince Sho is awake and seated at the kitchen table with his belongings around him. The prince looks up when he hears Ohno make his entrance.

“Ah, you’re awake! Just in time,” Ohno greets as he places the container on the table. The prince eyes the container with great interest. “I just bought these, dig in!”

“Ah, may I?” The prince asks politely.

“Please. And I actually bought some for you to take on your travels. Hanae-chan’s onigiris are tasty.”

Prince Sho looks intrigued at the food and carefully opens up the container. He pulls up the sleeve of his shirt and grabs the middle one, the salmon onigiri. “Thank you for buying these,” Prince Sho says before taking a large bite.

“You’re welcome.”

“Feef are felifous!” Prince Sho exclaims as he continues scarfing down the ongiri before reaching for another one. “They’re maximum delicious!”

Ohno laughs as he starts eating his own; Prince Sho is right, these are delicious. “A friend of mine made them. She makes the best in the village.”

“The rice is perfectly salted, and it’s soft and most. It’s incredible!” Prince Sho takes a large bite of his second onigiri.

“I think Hanae-chan will be happy that the crowned prince enjoys her cooking.”

And then the prince falls quiet. Ohno pauses as he senses the change of mood in the atmosphere. Frowning to himself, Ohno wonders if he has said something wrong. “Prince Sho?”

“Please,” Prince Sho says quietly as he averts his eyes to the side. “Please don’t call me that.”

“Um… prince?”

“Yeah…”

“Oh… uh… alright then.” Ohno purses his lips. “What should I call you then?”

Prince Sho looks up at him. “You can call me Sho if you’d like. Please, just not the prince part.”

Ohno nods as he blinks owlishly at the man before him. So his suspicions were correct then. The prince— no—Sho is definitely hiding something then. _Not hiding. Maybe, running away?_

“Oh, uh, I guess I should find a container for you for your travels?” Ohno suggests as he finishes off his onigiri before getting up.

“If that is not a burden to you, I would be very grateful,” Sho says quietly. Ohno sends him a small smile.

“When will you be making your departure? I can give you some more stuff if you wish,” Ohno offers as he takes out a small container for the onigiri.

“I was hoping if I can ask for your hospitality just a little longer,” Sho replies, “I was planning to leave in the evening, before twilight.”

“That’s not a problem. I’m staying up late tonight anyways. Have stars to catch.”

Sho perks up at that. “You’re a star catcher?” He asks in awe. Ohno grins.

“Yep!”

“That’s fascinating! I have only ever seen it done as a child, and it was…” Sho looks sheepish before saying, “... boring.”

Ohno laughs. “It actually is! I can’t disagree with you on that. It actually bored me as a child too.”

“Do you live with your family?” Sho asks. Ohno’s a little confused on the prince’s attempts to make small talk; he has to be careful not to give out too much information about his life.

“Unfortunately no. They live on another constellation. I don’t see them much.” It’s more like another galaxy, but Ohno doesn’t want to explain that story to the prince, nor does he need to know.

“Oh, and why is that?”

Ohno gives Sho a wry smile. “They’re not fond of the Aquarius skies, and they live very far away. The trip from here to their constellation takes almost a week.”

“That far?!” Sho exclaims in surprise.

“Yes.”

“And yet, you live alone and so far away,” Sho says in amazement. “I don't think I could ever do that. Isn't it lonely?”

 _Yet, here you are, Prince Sho._ Ohno shakes his head. “I have friends to keep me company.”

“Ehh…” Sho says absentmindedly as he finishes his second onigiri.

An awkward silence falls over them and Ohno wonders what he should do next. It's been a very long time since he's last entertained a royal guest, especially one as important as the crowned prince of the Milky Way Galaxy.

“Did you need any more supplies for your travels?” He finally asks, breaking the silence. Sho frowns and shakes his head.

“No thank you. I think what I have is adequate enough for me to make my journey.”

“How did you get here, if I may ask? I didn't see any ship or boat yesterday.”

Sho gives him a wary smile. “It's just at the edge of the constellation’s borders. Just a five minute walk from here.”

Ohno nods as he tries to think of the spot. He has no idea if the royal ships or boats have trackers, and it doesn't surprise him if they do. “Well then, please rest a bit more, Pri— Sho. I'm just going to do some painting outside the house.”

“You paint?” Sho asks in surprise.

“Yes, I find it relaxing, and it helps passes the time when I'm bored.” Ohno thinks about the feel of the canvas beneath his skin, the vibrant colours of his paints, the rough edges of his charcoal, or the scent of clay as he tries to shape it into something distinguishable. Sometimes Ohno thinks back to all the paintings and work he has done during his travels. He's sure they're displayed somewhere back at home for everyone to see.

“Well then, I shall leave you to your work.” Sho gives a tilt of his head. Ohno waves at him as he makes his way to the front door, grabbing his sketchbook that he keeps in the cabinet in the living room.

“Please call if you need anything, Prince Sho,” Ohno teases.

Sho rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “I said you can call me Sho, Satoshi-kun. And yes, thank you, I will if I am in need of assistance.”

Ohno merely smiles and steps onto his porch. Sighing to himself, Ohno proceeds down the tiny steps of his house and takes a seat on the bench. “I should probably try to finish the picture for MatsuJun.” He turns to the page with a half-finished sketch of a large ship, the second half still blank.

Ohno loses track of time as he sketches, filling in tiny details of the ship as he goes. Jun had wanted Ohno to do a sketch of their ship so that he can hang the artwork in the captain’s cabin. He claims that it's a way for them to remember Ohno when they're out among the stars during their travels. Ohno chuckles as he finishes outlining the rest of the ship. _Jun-kun is so sentimental even though he tries not to show it._

Ohno continues working on the sketch, not realizing the sky is slowly losing its bright glow. When Ohno finally manages to finish drawing the rest of the bottom of the ship, he realizes how late it is. “Ah, I lost track of time,” he mumbles as he looks at the sketch. He has managed to get a lot done today at least. Nodding to himself in satisfaction, he flips the book closed and gets up from the bench, ignoring how wobbly his knees are, from sitting for too long. Just as he's about to head back inside, he hears footsteps.

Ohno looks up and sees three members of the star guardians make their way up to him. _Oh shit._ The star guardians look serious as they finally stand in front of him, at least a metre away.

“Good evening… is there anything I can help you guys with?” Ohno asks, feigning innocence.

“Sir, have you seen a grey boat in the area?” The leader asks gruffly.

“A grey boat? I don’t believe I have… is there a problem, gentlemen?”

The guards cast quick glances at each other before turning back to face him. “Nothing to be concerned of.” The leader looks up at his house, and Ohno can feel his heart beating faster. If the guards are looking for the prince, the situation is going to get very messy.

_But it doesn't have to._

Ohno knows this, and he knows the prince also knows this. _It's simple._ Ohno can end it here, end their association here. He can simply confirm to the guards that the crowned prince is in his house and they will take him away, take him back to the kingdom the prince is running away from. And then Ohno can go back to living his life the way he has always lived for the past five years.

 _But I can't._ Because Ohno understands how it feels to be trapped in that life. That's why he left, no matter how much it pained his family. Ohno couldn't live that life again, despite the pleasant memories he has made. _And isn't this what Prince Sho is seeking himself?_ Ohno has an inkling that the prince is simply seeking what Ohno has been looking for all those years ago.

Freedom.

Choices.

“I just painted the door,” Ohno finally says as he points at the blue paint of his front door.

And he has made his decision. And most likely Ohno will get involved in the whole mess, but he thinks that maybe it's time to stop being afraid. _There are other galaxies in the system anyway._

The guard snorts and looks at his subordinates. “Search the house,” he orders.

_Shit._

“Do you have permission to do that?” Ohno asks as he begins to slowly back up from them. He hopes Sho actually hears what's happening from inside because things are about to get messy. The leader narrows his eyes at him. “I mean, you can't exactly search someone’s house without a proper search warrant, right?” Ohno has no idea if this is how it goes in this galaxy, but back home, the guards definitely do.

“If we are acting under the orders of the king, we do not need one,” one of them snaps as they advance forward.

“My girlfriend is over, and I don't want to wake her up,” Ohno lies as he eyes the batons around the guards’ waists warily. “And how do I know if you're telling the truth or not?” He’s treading on dangerous grounds, but Ohno needs to make time for the prince to escape.

The head guard sighs and looks at his two teammates. “Search the house.”

“Yes sir!” They exclaim with a salute before marching towards Ohno’s house.

Ohno steps to the side as the guards make their way to the front porch. He tries to make himself look as meek as he can while he searches the area for a weapon. If things get chaotic, he needs to help the prince get out of here. _And find the boat._ There's no turning back now, and Ohno is not one to sell out somebody who doesn't want to be found (unless, of course, they're a criminal or something), especially if it's a royal member trying to escape.

Narrowing his eyes at the guards who are now in front of his door, Ohno mentally makes a list of things he needs to grab for the trip. Since Sho has a boat, they can easily make an escape once they take care of the star guardians. Ohno turns to look back at the leader who is watching him carefully.

“Um, please tell your guards not to break down my door?” Ohno calls over to him. “That wood is very expensive!”

The leader rolls his eyes and walks over to Ohno. He's at least two heads taller than him, and still has that constant scowl on his face. “Let him open the front door!” The leader yells at his two men.

Ohno quickly runs to the front door. He prays that Sho has at least found a hiding spot so that Ohno can make quick work at getting these guards gone. _But if worst comes to worst, I may have to knock them out._

When Ohno finally opens the door, the two star guardians storm in. Ohno grimaces as they step into the house with their shoes on. They search his living room first, looking at every nook and cranny for a 5’7” man. The taller star guardian heads towards the kitchen while the other one checks Ohno’s bathroom. While they're occupied with that, Ohno is still quickly making his mental checklist. _Clothes, bandages, food, water…_

Ohno almost has to keep himself from flinching when they reach the door of his bedroom. _Please, please, please tell me you're hiding somewhere._ When the taller star guardian opens the door, Ohno holds his breath.

“There's no one on the bed. I thought you had a girlfriend over?” The shorter one sneers at Ohno when he walks in the room beside them. The bed sheets are a mess, and there are no signs of the prince at all. Then Ohno sees it: the lock of the bay window is open. Ohno shrugs.

“Maybe I got confused. Or maybe she decided to leave. I did head to town earlier this morning when she was still sleeping.”

The taller one turns to glare at Ohno. “You know what I think? I think you're hiding something. It is a serious offense to lie to the royal guards of the Milky Way Galaxy. I'm going to have to ask you to come with us for questioning.”

Ohno raises both hands up. “Look, I don't know what it is or who you're looking for, but I don't have it. I'm just a star catcher for this constellation.”

“And I think you're lying to us,” the taller one says again, and grabs Ohno’s arm. “You're coming with us.”

Ohno narrows his eyes at the guard and tries to pull his arm away from him. “I don't know who you're—”

“Prince Sho, stop right there!” A voice hollers from outside. Everyone freezes and the two guards run to the bay window to see the prince running away from the lead guardian. The other two guardians scramble for the front door, completely ignoring Ohno as he steps back to let the guards go by.

Ohno quickly springs into action. Grabbing his backpack from under his bed, Ohno starts stuffing clothes and food, and extra money he has saved in case of emergencies.

Ohno runs out of the house and sees the guards chasing Sho. Cursing to himself, Ohno quickly chases after them.

“Prince Sho, you must go home! Your father commands you so!” The lead guard yells as they run after him.

“No! You tell my father I refuse! I am a prince no more!” Sho hollers back. He spots Ohno when he turns back to look at the guards behind him. “Satoshi-kun!”

“Deal with him!” The leader hollers. The other two guards spin around to face Ohno. But Ohno is faster. He aims a solid roundhouse kick to one of the guards running towards him, sending the man to the ground. When the other guard manages to get his arms around his neck, Ohno pushes down and flips the guard on his back, knocking the wind out of him.

“Sorry!” Ohno yells as he starts chasing after the other two.

“Prince Sho!” The guard hollers at the prince’s back. Ohno picks up his speed, and soon he manages to catch up with the guard.

“Hey!” Ohno yells and tackles the guard to the ground.

“What—!”

They both fall to the ground with a loud crash and Ohno quickly grabs a rope from his pocket and places it between his teeth. The guard is struggling beneath him, but Ohno has managed to grab both the man’s arms when they fell on the ground, and quickly ties his wrists together.

Sho has turned around when he heard the guard yell, and quickly stares at the scene in shock as Ohno is effectively holding the guard down to tie him. Sho runs over to them, panting loudly.

“Quick! His feet!” Ohno cries as he tosses Sho another rope from his pocket. Sho quickly grabs it and runs to the man’s legs, grabbing them and locking them together.

“Crowned Prince!” The guard hollers. “You cannot escape your fate! Are you so willing to abandon your kingdom?!” The man spats.

Ohno sees Sho pause in his movements, and he wonders if Sho is having second thoughts about this.

“Yes.”

Ohno looks up at Sho. The other man is staring at the guard who looks back at him in shock. Sho is looking straight at the guard, his hands clenched into fists as he stares down at the guard.

“Yes. I am willing to abandon my kingdom,” Sho repeats.

“You're selfish!” The guard shouts as he struggles against Ohno’s hold, but Ohno has tied the ropes tightly. “You’re a selfish prince! Are you so willing to abandon your people so easily?!”

“Which is why I'm leaving!” Sho exclaims back angrily at the guard. “As your crowned prince, I apologize for my selfishness. But I cannot be the one to lead you one day.” Sho purses his lips and gives the guard a bow before turning around and stomping off. Ohno blinks before scrambling to catch up with Sho after he finishes the final knot in his bindings.

“Prince—” Ohno calls out at Sho.

“I am not a prince no longer!” Sho yells angrily and turning around to glare at him. “I have forfeited my title. My younger brother will make a better king than I.” He looks down at the ground angrily. “I know what I am doing is selfish, and I am a coward.” He gives Ohno a bow, before straightening up to look at him straight in the eye. “I thank you for all that you have done for me. The guards know your face and you will be hunted and jailed for having helped me. Once we leave this galaxy, I will give you money for your efforts.”

“But where will you go?” Ohno asks, completely ignoring the prince’s spiel. Sho looks as him in surprise. “Have you ever been outside of this galaxy by yourself?”

“No…”

“Listen, I'm not going to abandon you, prince,” Ohno says in exasperation.

“Please,” Sho says in exasperation, “just call me Sho. You have earned that right. And please drop the _sama_ as well.”

“Sho-san,” Ohno says tiredly, “I'm not heartless to just leave you at the border.”

“But I have taken your home, your job, and everything else you own from you,” Sho says with a frown. “Why would you want to help me?”

Ohno shakes his head. “That may be, but I willingly chose to help you, Sho-san. I knew the risks.” Ohno steps up to him. “I promise you, I will help you out of here. But now is not the time for talking.” Ohno looks behind him and notices that the head guard is currently biting the ropes on his wrist.

Grabbing Sho’s hand, and ignoring the man’s flinch, Ohno drags him further away from the area. “Come on, where’s your boat?!”

“Down there!” Sho exclaims, and Ohno can feel the man clench his hands tightly around Ohno’s, his fingers shaking. _He’s scared._ “At the edge off the cliff!”

Ohno sees it. It's a simple grey boat, nothing special. It is also not suited for very, very long travels. Maybe only one or two trips to another constellation before having to be stopped for fuel. Ohno wishes he has his rod with him.

“Do you know where to go?” Sho asks as they approach the boat.

“Help me push the boat,” Ohno says as he places two hands on the side of it. Sho quickly scrambles to help him and they manage to get the boat off the grass and on top of a wave of stars. “Excellent.” He turns to Sho before rummaging through his bag for a cloth. Realizing it would take too long to locate the item, Ohno ushers Sho to get on. “Come on, we can do it while we get there.”

Sho climbs on without any questions and takes a seat at the front. Ohno climbs in after him and sits at the back of the boat and starts the motor. “Do what?” Sho asks when Ohno manages to get the boat working.

“Hiding your face,” Ohno replies as he smoothly guides the boat onto a star path. “You're a wanted man now, Sho-san.”


	2. Part II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for any typos and grammar errors you may see. Thanks to my beta, Rinkufan ;) Cheers! I apologize for the short chapter. A little more worldbuilding, but not that much (sadly). :D Let me know what you think so far~

_In the wind, our heart beats overlapped_  
_It tasted like peppermint and tears_  
_Seeming like it would disappear, you held onto my hand_  
_But such a thing as eternity isn't real_

**

 

“Your friends are in Capricorn?” Sho asks, his voice muffled because of the scarf Ohno had wrapped around his face. The two of them parked the boat in a discreet area at the side of the harbour and had snuck their way in quietly without alerting the guards.

“Yeah.” At least, Ohno hopes they still are. The last time he’d spoken to them was a week ago, and Jun had told him that they wouldn't be setting sail for at least a month. Aiba had begged him to come visit them whenever he had the chance. Ohno really hopes they're still in this galaxy— they're his only way out.

Weaving through the crowd of the bustling town, Ohno and Sho quickly make their way past the sailors and foreign merchants. When they reach the front of an inn, Ohno turns to Sho, who has been silent the whole time.

“Are you okay?” Ohno asks as they step to the side. Ohno needs to know that Sho is alright, and not feeling too overwhelmed with everything so far. Even though Sho has “thrown” away his title, the man is still of royal blood, and Ohno wants to make sure there are going to be no further complications.

Sho nods and sends him a wry smile. “I'm fine. Just a little tired,” he remarks.

“We’ll have a chance to rest when we find my friends,” Ohno promises before turning around to enter the inn doors with Sho right at his heels.

The inn is quaint and comfy, and Ohno hopes that his friends are staying here. Despite the homey feel of the interior, this is one of the best inns in town, and Ohno knows Jun wouldn't settle for anything less than the best.

“Hello,” Ohno greets the receptionist as he steps up to the front desk. Sho stands to the side, looking at everything curiously. “I was wondering if you can tell me if a Jun and Masaki are staying here?”

As Ohno continues to talk with the receptionist, at the corner of his eye Ohno notices that Sho is staring outside the window. When the receptionist declines to confirm about his friend’s whereabouts due to privacy reasons, Ohno thanks her and quietly walks up to Sho.

“Sho-san,” Ohno whispers. Sho turns around and looks at him expectantly.

“Are they here?” Sho asks as he pulls his backpack closer to himself. Ohno shakes his head.

“The receptionist wouldn’t tell me if they were staying here. Come on, let’s search the town. I’m hoping we can find them that way.”

They start walking down towards the market. “What do your friends look like?” Sho inquires quietly, not wanting people to recognize his voice. Ohno doesn’t think they will be recognized, but one can never predict things like these.

The royalty of the Milky Way Galaxy are prominent figures, and everyone knows what they look and sound like, to a certain degree. Sho has given several speeches on television in the past, so the majority of the galaxy can definitely recognize him. Fortunately for them, news of the former crown prince’s flight hasn’t been announced yet, but Ohno knows it will probably happen by the end of the day. He needs to find his friends fast.

“Jun-kun is tall, pale, has broad shoulders and a small waist. His eyebrows stand out,” Ohno says as they weave through the crowd. “Masaki-kun is tall too, with tanned skin and a nice smile. He’s more willowy.”

“Satoshi-kun, those descriptions are quite vague…” Sho mumbles. Ohno shrugs.

“But those are the best descriptions I can think for them. Oh, and they're both bounty hunters.”

“I'm sorry… what?!” Sho yelps in surprise and stops mid-step. Ohno looks around before pulling Sho to the side, pressing a finger to his lips. “They're what?!” Sho exclaims again.

“Ssh!” Ohno says with a frown. “Not so loud.”

“You're friends with pirates!” Sho hisses at him, pulling the scarf down a little. “You know they're criminals—”

“They're considered pirates here only because your people think of them as such,” Ohno says sharply before shrugging. “They're harmless, really. And they're our ticket out of here.”

Sho is still glaring as he purses his lips. “What do you mean by that?” He asks.

“What?”

“What do you mean our ticket out of here?” He grumbles at him.

Ohno sighs and crosses his arms. Handsome man or not, he's beginning to lose his patience. “My friends have a ship. That ship is going to get us out of here to another galaxy where you won't be found.” Ohno sends him a bemused look. “Look, they won't hurt you, if that's what you're afraid of Sho-san.”

Sho sighs. “Alright. I trust you. If they're friends with you, they can't be that bad.”

Ohno blinks at the sudden compliment. It seems that Sho has a positive opinion of him and he has no idea where that came from. _Well, I did help him escape._ “They're great!” He smiles at him, trying to reassure Sho. “I think you'll get along well with them.” _Maybe not Jun-kun…_

They both start moving along the crowd again. After checking the market and finding no sign of the men they're looking for, Ohno and Sho decide to head to a restaurant for dinner. They enter a small ramen shop. Ohno requests a small booth in the corner so that Sho’s identity can remain hidden from the other diners.

“Should we check the other taverns?” Sho asks once they place their orders. Sho begins to loosen the scarf around his face, but he doesn’t remove it yet. Ohno leans back against his chair.

“Hmm… maybe.” It's actually not a bad idea. If Ohno knows his friends well, they will be drinking the night away after spending the entire day running errands and ordering their crew around.

After dinner, Ohno and Sho head for the taverns. They go to three more taverns that the town has to offer before finally giving up.

“Are you sure they're on Capricorn?” Sho asks as they walk down the street. Ohno sighs in frustration.

“They should be. They told me they were going to be here for a while.”

“Maybe they're—”

“Try that again, punk!” A voice hollers and suddenly there's a cacophony of shouts and glass breaking coming from the restaurant they just walked by. Ohno perks up at the familiar voice. _Can it be…?_ He quickly runs inside the restaurant with Sho right behind him.

“Trying to rob me, eh?!” A handsome man with dark wavy hair and strong features asks as he grabs the other person by the collar. “You think I wouldn't notice?!” Beside him, his brown-haired friend has a tight grip on his arm, looking back and forth between both parties nervously.

“Jun, hey! Let him go!” The friend hisses quietly.

Sho’s jaw drops and he turns his head to stare at Ohno. “Is that…?”

Ohno simply nods.

Jun is still shaking with anger, and he pulls the thief’s face close to his own as he glares at him. The other occupants are watching the scene before them in silence. No one makes a move. The thief looks terrified.

“Tell me why I should let you go,” Jun spits with contempt. Ohno blinks owlishly as Aiba, the handsome man beside him, starts whispering furiously at him to let the thief go. “No, Masaki!” Jun hisses back.

“He seems nice,” Sho whispers to Ohno sarcastically. Ohno shrugs.

Aiba begins looking around frantically like he’s trying to get someone to help before he finally spots Ohno. Ohno sends him a smile and waves. He chuckles as the man gasps and sends him a large grin that he can’t help but return.

“Satoshi-kun!” Aiba exclaims in surprise. “What are you doing here?” He makes his way over to Ohno, completely barreling between Jun and the thief. Jun growls in annoyance and the thief scampers out of the restaurant quickly when Jun lets go because of Aiba.

“Masaki!” Jun barks angrily, but Aiba has already made his way over to Ohno, completely ignoring the fuming man.

There's a small pause before the restaurant goes back to normal, people turning back to their meals before the whole ruckus started. Some of the customers send wary looks at Jun. Jun rolls his eyes and turns to join his friends at the door, where Aiba is currently squeezing the life out of Ohno.

“Satoshi-kun! What are you doing here?” Aiba exclaims happily to the smaller man he has enveloped in a bear hug.

Ohno chuckles and pats his friend on the back. “Hi Masaki-kun,” he greets happily as Aiba continues hugging him tightly, “I was looking all over for you.”

Jun walks up to them, a scowl still on his face. “Satoshi-kun,” he says in greeting, giving Ohno a nod.

Ohno chuckles and breaks away from Aiba and goes to stand in front of Jun. He looks up at the grumpy man and they're locked in an odd staring contest with one man scowling like the world is out to get him, and the other man just looking up at him with the calmest expression. Finally, Jun sighs and pulls Ohno into a hug.

“Hi Jun-kun,” Ohno says happily as he returns the hug wholeheartedly.

“Satoshi-kun,” Jun says with a sigh before the two of them pull apart.

“And who are you?” Aiba asks curiously as he looks over at Sho, who has been watching the proceedings quietly. Ohno clears his throat, catching the attention of his two friends.

“It’s a long story.”

 

“Wow! I can't believe we’re sneaking the crown prince out!” Aiba exclaims excitedly as they watch Jun bark orders at the crew. Ohno hums in response. They're en route towards the border of the Milky Way Galaxy, and the three of them are standing at the top of the deck of Jun and Aiba’s ship, Kaze. Aiba is at the helm and is steering the ship through the ocean of stars. Ohno looks at the sky and admires the orange hue that signifies the change in time.

“Umm… won't they know who I am? Or report me to the star guardians?” Sho asks nervously, wrapping the scarf around his face tighter. “Also, you can just call me Sho. I'm not a prince any longer, Masaki-san.”

After Ohno found his friends, he and Sho had recounted the entire situation to Aiba and Jun. Jun had been the one to refuse outright with a stern, “No.” He had argued that if the star guardians caught them, they would all be in very big trouble, even if the Kaze crew are all well-versed in the art of fighting. Despite being bounty hunters (“Pirates!” Sho hisses), they still aren't equipped with battle equipment that they need to take on a fleet of star guardians, desperate to find their prince.

Aiba had been the one to change Jun’s mind. He had gone on a passionate spiel about helping people find their meaning and destiny in life, and how Jun should understand what Sho was doing (even though no one knew exactly why Sho was leaving except Ohno, who only had a general idea), and that they should help the former prince escape.

Eventually, Jun relented and the two friends had gathered up the rest of their crew for an early leave. Aiba had promised the crew that they would have a longer shore leave in the Andromeda Galaxy. No one had had any complaints about that. The Andromeda Galaxy is known for its vast size and diverse community. It is a major trade centre, and one can get almost _anything_ there. Ohno has gotten his hands on some of the best art supplies on a few of his visits.

“As long as we are still in these stars, you're still a prince, Sho-kun! And drop the -san, Sho-kun!” Aiba exclaims happily as he waves his hand up towards the sky. “Also, our crew won’t breathe a word to anyone. They’re very trustworthy!” He beams at him.

“...Ah.” Sho seems taken back at Aiba’s enthusiasm and his manner of address. Ohno has to hide a grin. He's happy that Sho and Aiba are getting along well, but Jun and Sho… are another story.

Ohno met the two friends several years ago when he was residing in the Sunflower Galaxy after he had decided to quit his former life. He had been living with his grandparents and helping them with their star catching business; it was actually how he got into the business for his time in the Milky Way Galaxy. His grandparents’ shop for star catching had been one of the only star catching businesses opened in that galaxy due to the size of the galaxy itself. As a small and peaceful galaxy with older people as the main residents, his grandparents’ business flourished. His cousins often sailed over to help out, but Ohno had decided to stay there for a year before leaving with Jun and Aiba on the Kaze.

At the time, Jun and Aiba had been making their way to the Whirlpool Galaxy for more jobs. Unfortunately, during their trip, they had encountered actual pirates and while defending his ship, Jun had gotten injured. Rushing to a galaxy nearby, the ship had landed in the Sunflower Galaxy’s harbour.

Ohno had been in town buying groceries for dinner that night when he had heard the commotion. The Kaze crew had been frantically running throughout town asking for a doctor. Ohno had pulled one of the crew members aside when a young man rushed past him in a panic.

When the young man explained the situation, Ohno had run back home to grab his first-aid kit, much to his grandparents’ confusion. Ohno was no doctor, but he had received some medical training growing up as part of his “mandatory” lessons. Needless to say, everyone had been extremely grateful to him after that. And when Ohno realized that the Kaze was able to take him to different places, he had taken the chance.

Jun and Aiba (and some of the crew members that were from his own galaxy) aren't stupid though. Despite not telling them of his real identity, they had figured it out midway through the journey to the Milky Way Galaxy.

Jun hadn't taken it very well at first, but he couldn't hold a grudge against Ohno because he had saved his life, and the taller man held great respect for him. Aiba had no qualms accepting Ohno when he found out, having no previous prejudice to royalty, and Ohno was grateful. Now they were helping Ohno out by keeping his identity from Sho a secret.

“I'm worried about Jun,” Ohno says quietly to Aiba when Sho walks away to get a closer look at the stars below the ship.

“But he’ll get over it, won't he?” Aiba frowns. “Jun-kun may not like it, but I think he understands Sho-kun.”

“Hm…” Ohno doesn't know about that. He doesn't even know why Sho actually left. Ohno had thought that maybe Sho just didn't want to bear the responsibility of the crown on his shoulders… _but there has to be more to it than that._

“He’ll come around. He knows not all royalty are bad, even though he may act like that,” Aiba concludes.

Ohno looks up at his friend. “You think?”

Aiba beams down at him. “He did for you, didn't he?”

 

Ohno makes his way to the bottom of the ship to the shared cabin with Sho. It’s been five days since they had successfully departed the Milky Way Galaxy, and Sho has been… quiet. Surprisingly, it had been easy to sneak the ship out the borders without any problems. They had been fortunate that the royal family had not let news out that the crowned prince had abandoned his home and title before they were able to sneak out of the galaxy. Sho had hid in his shared cabin with Ohno when they reached the borders. Aiba and Jun had handled the questioning.

According to Jun, news of the crown prince's disappearance had been announced two days after their departure when they made a quick stop at a starburst harbour for additional supplies. The locals had been talking about it non-stop. Sho and Ohno had decided to stay on the ship that day, while Jun and a few of the Kaze crew members ran the errands.

Aiba had offered to take Sho to the Andromeda Galaxy. Due to its vast size, Sho would have an easier time blending in with the locals and not be found out. Since members of the immediate Sakurai family hardly traveled outside or did any diplomatic missions, many people in the other galaxies had no idea what the crown prince looked like. Only some of the royalty from the different galaxies that the Sakurai family associated with knew what Sho looked like.

Ohno isn't too worried about Sho though. Once Sho reaches the Andromeda Galaxy, and registers himself as a citizen (Ohno needs to see Satomi-chan for that), Sho is safe from the hands of his own kingdom. If Sho can get his official citizen card, Sho doesn't have to live in constant fear of being deported back to his kingdom. Ohno had been lucky that the star guards of the Milky Way Galaxy never did checks during his time living there, often overlooking the constellation because it wasn’t as developed as the other constellations. The low population also helped.

When Ohno opens the door to his room, Sho is seated at the desk, looking out the window of their room. He turns his head towards the door when Ohno walks in. “Hey,” he greets with a small smile.

“Hello,” Ohno returns and he throws himself on the bed.

Sho turns around in his chair to face him. “Have you eaten?”

Ohno sighs into the pillow before turning his head to look at him. Ohno has always been aware, since their first meeting several days ago, that Sho is incredibly handsome. When they had stopped at the Disco Starburst, Aiba had helped Sho get some new clothes for the journey (Sho had looked embarrassed at having his measurements taken). Normally Jun would have been the one to help with the clothes shopping, but Jun is still reluctant to be around Sho or even talk to him. The clothes that Aiba helped pick out (for once— even Jun had to admit Aiba’s choices were good) were flattering on the man, and Ohno had not been able to take his eyes off him when they got back to the ship.

Ohno has to thank his lucky stars that there was a lot of wind that night when they started to set sail for Andromeda, because Ohno had felt his face warm when Sho had come back out in his new clothes. The long-sleeved shirt that Aiba had picked out for him accentuated Sho’s arm muscles and chest very nicely and Ohno had to quickly avert his gaze to avoid suspicion.

Now, a couple days after they set sail, Jun is still quiet around the prince. Jun lets Aiba deal with Sho, not wanting to speak to the former prince directly. Sho always looks disheartened at Jun’s obvious dislike of him, and Ohno hopes that Aiba is right: he thinks Jun and Sho could become really good friends.

It's been a really long time since someone has caught his interest, having spared no thoughts towards dating or finding someone special in his life during his years in the Milky Way Galaxy. Ohno’s interests mainly go towards women, but once in awhile, a good-looking man may catch his eye.

Sakurai Sho is definitely one of those good-looking men. Living in the Milky Way Galaxy, Ohno has kept his attraction towards men on the down-low due to the society’s negative attitude toward same-sex relationships. The Milky Way Galaxy is known for many things such as having the best medical advancements and a high literacy rate, but same-sex rights isn't one of them.

Now that he's out of there, Ohno finds himself unconsciously looking at Sho every once in awhile. It’s a little relieving to be able to check out another man without feeling judged or shamed, especially around these men, at something that is not even an issue in his home galaxy. But Sho is from the Milky Way Galaxy— Ohno doesn't know if the former prince shares the same prejudices as the rest of his citizens. If he had been back in his own galaxy, Ohno might have tried to flirt with him.

“Not yet…” Ohno mumbles as he blinks sleepily at Sho. Sho sighs and gets up from his seat to walk over to him. Ohno turns his gaze up at Sho in confusion.

“You need to eat, Satoshi-kun. Come, let's go find something in the kitchens.” He held a hand out. Ohno grumbles into his pillow but eventually relents. He takes Sho’s proffered hand and as Sho pulls him to his feet, Ohno can't help but notice how strong Sho seems to be. _No, Satoshi, don't go there._

Making their way down to the ship’s kitchens, they pass Toma, Jun and Aiba’s childhood friend and the ship’s purser. The both of them stop to chat with the cheerful man for a bit before resuming their mission of finding food to eat.

When they reach their destination, Jun is already seated at the table with three other crew members. Before them is an impressive spread of various fish and white rice. Jun looks up and smiles at Ohno as he and Sho make their way over to them.

“Hi Satoshi-kun,” Jun greets. He glances at Sho before turning his gaze back to Ohno and pats the seat next to him. “Satoshi-kun, have you eaten?”

Ohno shakes his head and sits down next to him. Sho takes his other side. Murmuring a quick thanks, Ohno helps himself to some of the steamed fish while Sho is scooping rice into his bowl.

“Did you make this?” Ohno asks the group. The crew member sitting directly in front of him beams.

“Satoshi-san, we helped the Captain with lunch today!” Ohno remembers that this enthusiastic fellow’s name is Kei. If his memory serves him right, he helps with the design and installation of upgrades for the ship. The younger man is… pretty. Ohno blinks as the man seems to radiate some sort of youthful energy. It sort of reminds him of his cousin, except his cousin is lazy and more of a shut-in than this young man who is brimming with energy and excitement.

“It's delicious!” Sho exclaims as he puts a huge spoonful of food in his mouth. The three younger crewmembers grin at the enthusiastic response. Ohno chuckles as he watches Sho eat. He looks over at Jun at the corner of his eye and notices that Jun is trying his hardest not to look pleased by disguising it with a frown instead. Ohno knows Jun is flattered with the response; the man is always happy to hear compliments about his cooking. Add in the fact that Prince Sho is boasting about it, Jun’s ego is probably skyrocketing.

“We are glad you like it, Sho-san,” they chorused. Ohno looks at them in amusement.

After lunch, Jun actually actually says bye to them—both of them— and as he leaves the kitchen with Sho, he can see Sho’s shell-shocked expression at the corner of his eye. To be acknowledged by Jun after being ignored by him for the past five days must be a huge surprise for Sho.

Ohno grins as they both make their way back to their room. There's hope yet.

 

On the second week of their journey, Ohno and Sho are put to work to help with the maintenance of the ship. While they're not assigned to anything tasking like the other crew members, they are still expected to help with the cleaning and washing for the journey (or _I’ll have your hide,_ Jun had said.)

Ohno is assigned to cleaning duty today; he’s cleaning the windows of the cabins with Toma. Sho had been assigned to help Aiba clean the deck.

Toma is chatty and friendly as ever, filling the silence between them with happy and mindless chatter as they move from move to room, cleaning the windows of the ship. He doesn't seem too bothered with Ohno’s quietness, and Toma understands that Ohno is actually listening to what he's saying—he appreciates that.

When they finally finish cleaning the windows, it's late in the afternoon. Ohno heads to the showers to freshen up before heading up to the deck to see how Sho is faring. He hopes that the other man is okay; Sho is probably not used to doing manual labour and chores growing up in the palace.

When Ohno reaches the top to where Sho should be, he stares in amazement at the scene before him. Sho is sitting before four of the crew members, teaching them how to write the characters. Aiba is standing off to the side with a smile on his face. Ohno quietly walks over to his friend.

“What's going on?” Ohno whispers. Aiba turns to him with a grin on his face.

“Well, in the beginning we were just cleaning, but Sho-kun was really slow, but that's okay. And then, one of the lads came out to ask me how to read something and then Sho-kun was scandalized that they didn't know how to read and kicked up a big fuss about the importance of education, and then he offered to teach them how to read and write for the next three months on the ship here. Needless to say, I took him off cleaning duty,” Aiba explains in one breath. Ohno blinks at him owlishly from the story his friend had just told. The taller man pats his friend on the shoulder. “The crown prince is nice.”

Ohno turns his gaze back at the scene before him. This time, Sho catches Ohno’s eye and smiles at him. Ohno feels his cheeks heat up and quickly averts his gaze.

“Oh,” Aiba says beside him. Ohno stiffens and looks warily at his friend who's looking at the both of them with a beaming smile. “How interesting.”

Ohno feigns ignorance and Aiba giggles beside him before turning back to the group.

Ohno watches as Sho writes the vowels on the notebook he's holding. He's teaching the boys Standard, the language that is used across the galaxies.

Ohno takes note of Sho’s handwriting. It’s uniform in size, and neat— the standard way of the Milky Way Galaxy. Ohno’s own handwriting of the language is more loose and flowy, allowing them to dance on paper freely. When Ohno had moved to the Milky Way Galaxy, he had to practice how the inhabitants of the Galaxy write their letters to fit in. One’s writing style is a huge giveaway on where they're from.

Ohno tries to remember his friends’ writing style. Aiba and Jun are both from the same galaxy. If his memory is correct, both of them are from the Tadpole Galaxy, a neighbouring galaxy to his that is known for its beautiful lush rainforests and countless waterfalls. Their handwriting is also loose and flowy like his, but is smaller and more compact.

“Maybe we can have him be a tutor for the next three months? He certainly has a knack for it,” Aiba comments as he waves at Ohno to walk to the captain’s deck.

Ohno chuckles as he takes a seat on the small stool next to the helm. “Is he that bad at doing chores?”

“Well, he's not terrible at it… but Jun wouldn't be happy, let's just say that.” Aiba sends him a grin and Ohno laughs.

“Did he complain at all? I can't imagine him having to do any of it in the palace.”

Aiba shakes his head. “Surprisingly no. He was doing pretty okay in the beginning. A bit slow, but he was fine.” He shrugs.

Ohno hums in response as he gets up from the stool and heads over to the railing. Placing his elbows on the ledge, Ohno watches as Sho is currently demonstrating to the crew members how to write the rest of the vowels, grinning when they manage it successfully the first time.

Ohno likes the shine in Sho’s eyes and the carefreeness of the man’s laugh as one of the boys accidentally writes the character wrong. He looks younger, and much more at ease than he did a couple days ago. Ohno likes how it looks on him.

He wonders how he can get Sho to smile like that again.


	3. Part III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *falls over* Yes, I am back! Once again, thanks to my beta, Rinkufan, for looking this over and making it a better read! <3 I think you will like this chapter ;)

_I wonder why I love it　It's like a big bang, isn't it?_  
_The ache spreads out in my chest painfully_  
_It's selfish, isn't it?　You lower your gaze_  
_I wonder if night exists for the sake of love_

**

 

As the Kaze continues its journey among the stars to the Andromeda Galaxy, the ship’s co-captains decide to makes another short stop at a small starburst village along the way. Jun has been making comments about how the food supplies are getting low again (he had pointedly avoided looking at Sho when he says this), and the younger crew members are complaining about how they miss being on land: Jun thinks they're all a bunch of children.

It’s a little into the second month of their voyage, and Ohno’s been counting down the days until his and Sho’s inevitable separation. He tries to distract himself by helping Jun and Aiba with ship duties so that he doesn't have to be around Sho too often besides night time.

Every afternoon, Sho gives interested crew members grammar lessons, teaching them how to read and write. His first lesson had gone so well that Jun officially put him in charge of teaching the younger members of the crew instead of participating with the chores. Ohno sometimes listens in on these lessons from the captain’s deck. If he enjoys hearing the sound of Sho’s deep voice… well, no one has to know, right?

Sho has also been making more effort these days to talk to all of them, especially the younger crew members. In the beginning he had mostly kept to himself, only speaking when spoken to. Even when it's just the two of them in a private vicinity, Sho still has to be prompted occasionally by Ohno to speak. This actually surprises Ohno a bit because Sho had seemed talkative when they had first met. But Ohno supposes it makes sense since he’s surrounded by “pirates” and Sho doesn’t want to attract much attention. When Jun had announced that they would be going to have a short respite at the starburst village of Yama, Sho had looked excited. Ohno thinks he will visit the village to get a restock of his art supplies. It will be good to stretch his legs for a bit.

He has been sketching almost every night now, his hands dancing across the paper as he draws things he comes across on their voyage. Some nights, it’s the night sky and the endless stars around them; some nights he thinks about the people he has seen during the day, and tries to capture the sunny smiles on their faces; and some nights… Ohno sketches Sho. His smile, his grins, his frowns, the slant of his lips when he smirks, and the quirk of his brow— Ohno wants to catch it all on paper. His sketchpad has endless doodles and sketches of Sho. His feelings for the former Milky Way prince… he can’t deny it now.

Sho is kind and caring. He possesses a curiosity for the unknown, and he’s passionate about things he's interested in. Just the other day, Sho had been discussing with Aiba very enthusiastically about all the food he had the chance to eat growing up in the palace. Ohno has seen all these sides of Sho in the past few weeks of their journey as he interacts with the other crew members, and Ohno can’t help but to be captivated by him.

He has tried to avoid Sho, and it _had_ worked for the first couple of weeks, but Sho had somehow caught on and started following him everywhere whenever they have free time together. It drives him crazy because Ohno hates how nervous he gets around Sho when the other man is standing so close to him, but he’s ecstatic with glee because Sho is there with him, wanting to be around him. Even if they don’t talk a lot (but the conversations are growing in number now that Sho has gotten more comfortable being around everyone), Ohno feels like they can understand each other in their silence sometimes. _Or is it wishful thinking?_

Ohno knows he’s not the most interesting person to be around— Aiba and Jun make much better talking companions if he has to compare. He prefers to listen more than he speaks. Words have never come easily for him like they do for his cousin or his sister back home. Sho is the complete opposite of that, but the other man enjoys being around him despite Ohno’s silent nature. On the occasions that Ohno does choose to speak, Sho looks at him and listens with utmost attention, like Ohno is the only one that matters. Ohno doesn’t know how to feel about that, it surely isn’t doing anything for his growing affections.

As Ohno contemplates on his feelings for Sho that afternoon, he doesn’t realize that the man himself is standing next to him.

“Satoshi-kun!” Sho calls from beside him and waves a hand in front of Ohno’s face. Ohno jumps in shock and almost falls backwards.

“Woah!” Sho exclaims as he grabs Ohno’s arm quickly, stopping him from falling over. “Are you alright?”

Ohno tries to fight down a blush as he pulls his hand back quickly. “Yeah…”

“What were you thinking about? It seemed pretty serious,” Sho comments as he looks at him in concern. Shaking his head, Ohno turns to lean his elbows against the railing of the ship. He can see the port in the distance, signaling their destination.

“Nothing,” he mumbles.

Sho turns to lean against the railing next to him, and Ohno can see him stare at him at the corner of his eyes. _What does he want?_

“Satoshi-kun, I heard that you were going down to the village too? I was planning on doing a little shopping myself. Masaki-kun that you were planning to go shopping for your art supplies. Why don’t we go together?”

 _Masaki-chan, why did you have to tell him?!_ Ohno really wants to say no, but Sho is looking at him with those big round eyes of his, and he really doesn’t have the heart to say no. _It’s not my fault I have a crush on him_ he thinks in resignation. Ohno shrugs. “Sure, why not?”

“Great!” Sho exclaims excitedly and claps a hand on Ohno’s back. “I’ll see you when we get to land! I’m going to go get ready!” Ohno watches Sho rush back to their room in slight amusement.

“Date?”

Ohno startles at the voice behind him and turns around to see Jun standing there with a smirk on a face. He sighs. “No, Jun-kun.”

“Are you sure?” Jun asks teasingly as he steps closer to him with mirth sparkling in his eyes. “Seems like one to me.”

Ohno frowns. “He doesn’t even like men, Jun-kun.” Jun rolls his eyes.

“And how do you know that?”

Ohno stares at him. Technically, what Jun is saying is right, but Ohno knows it’s impossible. The values and norms are probably too etched into Sho’s mind for anything like… _that_ to even be a slight possibility. Sho seems so… straight.

“It’s a date.” Jun sends him a smirk. “It sounded awfully like a date to me.”

“Jun-kun…”

“Have fun, Satoshi-kun!” Jun says with a laugh as he ruffles his hair, earning a squawk from him. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do! But I think you should take advantage of this and learn more about him,” he suggests seriously.

“But he’s leaving. I’m leaving. I’m not staying in Andromeda,” Ohno points out as he grumbles at Jun for messing up his hair. “Besides, I'm sure he doesn't like men… like that.”

“How do you know?” Jun asks again with a raised eyebrow, annoyance peppering his tone this time..

“Jun-kun, he's from the Milky Way. He's royalty,” Ohno emphasizes. Why doesn’t Jun understand that?

“So they're all like that now? Satoshi-kun, maybe he isn't against it like the others.”

It's a nice thought, but Ohno isn't so sure. He shrugs.

Jun shakes his head with a sigh. “Then be his friend.” Ohno looks up at him in surprise.

“What do you mean? Isn’t he your friend too?” He asks in confusion.

Jun shrugs and wraps an arm around Ohno’s shoulders.

“He is. But he’s not himself around us. He doesn’t let down his walls around us like he does with you. If you don’t want anything else, then be his friend. He opens up with you.”

“How do you know that?” Does Sho really? Ohno has never really noticed, but Sho always seem to be smiling and bickering with Aiba and Jun respectively. Jun nods and looks up at the sky above them.

“Because I have eyes,” Jun says matter-of-factly, “seriously Satoshi-kun, pay attention next time.” Jun winks down at him. “Enjoy your date!”

Ohno blushes. It’s not a date, no matter what Jun says, but the thought of it being one is... nice. Ohno purses his lips and excuses himself from Jun to go finish the rest of his chores.

 

Sho is already waiting for him at the docks when Ohno finally manages to finish his chores in time, shower, run back to his room to get changed, and grab his bag for the shopping trip.

Ohno runs up to him, slightly out of breath. He's been looking forward to today for the past couple of days and he's already making a bad impression on Sho with his tardiness. _It's still not a date_ he insists stubbornly. Sho laughs and places a hand on Ohno’s shoulder when he finally makes his way to the former prince.

“Woah! Slow down there, Satoshi-kun!”

Ohno tries to catch his breath. “Sorry for making you wait, Sho-san,” Sho grins and shakes his head and takes his hand back. Ohno mourns the loss of his warmth.

“Don't worry about it. Do you have everything?”

Ohno nods. “Yeah, it shouldn't take us too long.”

Sho smiles and then pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket. “I made an itinerary for us today. We should be able to be back on the ship by the time night falls.”

Ohno looks at him in surprise. “Night?”

Sho meets his eyes shyly, which is strange. Sho has never been shy around him before (at least not like this). “I was talking to some of the locals that came by earlier and they said tonight they’re putting on one of their annual fireworks shows. I thought it would be nice for us to watch it together.”

Ohno is stunned. Sho had made a whole itinerary for them both, lasting all the way until night time? His face must look weird because Sho looks frantic.

“Uh— I, uh… I mean if you want to that is. If you don't want to, it’s fine…” Sho trails off nervously as he looks at Ohno’s face.

Ohno shakes his head and gives him a smile. “No, it’s fine. It sounds fun!”

Sho beams and quickly stuffs the paper into his pocket. “That’s great! Let’s get our shopping done first before we explore the starburst, okay?”

Ohno chuckles at Sho’s enthusiasm and nods. “Okay!”

 

The two of them spend almost half the day shopping and eating. Ohno finds that Sho pretty much freaks out if they don’t follow the schedule closely: he had started to whine when they spent longer than planned at a restaurant that took over twenty minutes to serve them their food. Honestly speaking… it’s a little exhausting to travel with Sho. Exhausting but fun. When their next destination is the art store, Ohno is touched when Sho tells him that he had scheduled an hour slot for him to buy his art supplies.

Ohno is examining the different types of paints the shop is carrying. It’s been a long time since he’s done anything with paint, and Ohno wonders if he should buy it. He’s brought enough money to last him a few months, but Ohno is still unsure whether or not he’ll have enough to help him find a new home, and a new job.

Ohno turns his head to the side and sees Sho looking at a collection of different pencils. When they had entered the shop earlier, Sho had followed him around for a bit before going off on his own. Realizing that he has ample time to actually contemplate on his purchases, Ohno takes his time browsing the store. He smiles and turns back to his paints.

After the leave the shop, the sun has already set. Ohno and Sho both make their way to a nearby restaurant for dinner before heading over to the hills for the fireworks display.

“Were you able to find what you needed, Satoshi-kun?” Sho asks kindly after they place their order with the server. Ohno grins and pats his travel bag in satisfaction.

“Yes, I decided to buy some paints this time.” They’re all neatly placed in his bag including a few new brushes, and Ohno can’t wait to get back to the ship and try them out. It’s going to be a little messy, and Ohno hopes Jun will not get too mad if he makes a mess.

Sho smiles. “That’s great! You seemed really happy when we were there.”

“It’s been a long time since I’ve stepped foot in one,” he admits truthfully.

“So how are you finding the starburst so far?” Sho asks as he refills Ohno’s cup of tea. Smiling at him in thanks, Ohno takes small sips from his cup.

“It's okay. It's really large compared to other ones I've been to.”

Sho perks up at that. “You've been to other starbursts before?”

Ohno nods. “I used to travel a lot before I settled down as a star catcher on Aquarius.”

“What were you before?” Sho asks excitedly before pulling back, blushing. “Sorry, I'm being really nosy right now. I've never really travelled anywhere for the sake of travelling. Just… for diplomatic trips.”

Ohno shakes his head. “It's okay, I don't mind.” Just then, their food arrives, interrupting their conversation. After their server leaves and they say their thanks, Ohno starts talking again as Sho practically inhales his food.

“Did you mean what I did?” Ohno asks, chuckling at the cute sight of Sho’s full cheeks.

“Yeah,” Sho replies after he swallows his mouthful of rice. Ohno pops a piece of chicken in his mouth. _Delicious._ “You seem like you know a lot about…” Sho waves his chopsticks around, “the galaxies.”

Ohno smirks. “Maybe. But yes, I used to travel the different galaxies with my cousin. I guess you could say… I was his assistant in a way.”

“Really?” Sho asks with wide eyes. “What type of assistant?”

“Hmmm…” Ohno fiddles with his vegetables by stirring his salad with his chopsticks. He doesn't exactly want to tell Sho the exact details of his cousin’s job. “He's a… merchant.”

“And you tagged along?” Sho teases. “Came with him to look pretty?”

Ohno blinks at him. Is Sho flirting with him? “I’ll have you know I did help out sometimes.” He sticks his tongue out at him.

“I believe you,” Sho says cheekily and takes a bite of his pork.

The rest of their meal is filled with them revealing some tidbits of their daily lives before their escape of the Milky Way Galaxy, something they haven't exactly done before.

Ohno finds out that Sho isn't as proper or obedient as he had thought. Apparently, the obedient prince had a rebellious stage, one that drove the king and queen crazy when he had been a teenager.

“I snuck out the grounds when I was 16, and went to a party on Virgo that night,” Sho recalls fondly as they gather their belongings after paying (Sho had insisted and Ohno couldn't even fight with him because Sho had just given him a death glare for suggesting they split) for the meal.

“Virgo?! That far?” Ohno asks in astonishment as they exit the restaurant.

“Yep, I snuck out on a boat. The guards didn't even see me.” Sho takes out his map and points to a location in the far right corner. “The fireworks are here. We should go now so it doesn't get too crowded later.”

“Did you get in trouble?” Ohno inquires as they start heading towards their destination. Sho moves to walk beside him, and they're so close, shoulders brushing. Ohno watches as their shadows overlap on the ground.

“Yeah I did. I was incredibly unlucky that night because the star guards were making their rounds there that night. And I was incredibly inebriated to the point where I got nasty when they tried to bring me back to the palace. My parents were so embarrassed,” Sho says with a sigh. Ohno chuckles at Sho’s pained expression. “Needless to say, they put guards outside my room for months to make sure I didn't do anything like that for a while.”

Ohno smiles as they enter the field. There's already a large crowd gathered there; everyone is laughing and talking amongst themselves. Sho waves at him and points toward top of the hills.

“We can watch it from up there, and it'll be less crowded,” Sho suggests. Ohno agrees and they quickly make their way over there.

“I must admit, I'm shocked you had such a rebellious phase in your life,” Ohno confesses.

Sho shrugs and gives him a cheeky grin in response. When they finally reach the bottom of the tree, Sho drops his bag down on the grass. Ohno does the same and takes a seat beside him.

“Ah, it's beautiful!” Sho exclaims as he lies down on the grass. “The show won't start for another ten minutes.”

“Have you ever seen a fireworks show?” Ohno asks as he looks at Sho in amusement. Sho chuckles and shrugs, tilting his head up to look at him.

“Only once, when I was in Leo. The folks there seem to love fireworks…” he trails off, “what about you, Satoshi-kun?”

“I've seen them a few times when I travelled. It seems to be common in the Andromeda Galaxy.” Satomi had loved dragging him to all the festivals when he had been there. They were quite beautiful.

“That's nice. I remember when I went, there were couples everywhere. They were all on dates!” Sho chuckles and closes his eyes and Ohno has to look away to avoid staring at Sho’s face. He feels his face heating up, and he thanks the stars that it's dark so that Sho can't see how red his face is.

“Ah… it seems to be a couple activity,” Ohno mumbles.

“Are you seeing anyone, Satoshi-kun?” Sho asks curiously. Ohno shakes his head.

“No, not at all.” His last lover had been back home. They had dated for a year before they had to break it off because Ohno was leaving for travel.

“Satoshi-kun…”

“Hm?”

“I heard from Masaki-kun and Jun-kun that you're not from the Milky Way Galaxy.”

“Hmm… yeah.”

Sho looks hesitant, as if he's afraid of probing any further. Ohno doesn't have any problems with Sho asking about his home, but the nervous energy radiating from the other man makes him a little nervous too.

“What's wrong?”

Sho pushes himself up, pulling his legs to his chest, and wraps his arms around his legs. Ohno sees Sho hesitate for a bit before finally speaking.

“Is… is it true that in other galaxies, same sex relationships are allowed?” He asks shyly.

Ohno blinks at him owlishly in response. Out of all the things he expected Sho to ask or even talk about, this is definitely not one of them.

Ohno coughs to try to mask the awkward air that had fallen between them. “Well…”

“Ah, sorry! That’s a weird question to ask…” Sho blushes as he looks down at the ground.

“Ah, no…” Ohno shakes his head frantically. But he's curious: why is Sho asking him this? It's actually the perfect opportunity for him to know what Sho thinks about it. Clearing his throat, Ohno says, “Yeah. They are. Allowed. I mean, it's not really a taboo in Andromeda. And it’s fully accepted in Whirlpool.”

Sho’s gaze snaps back to him, his eyes wide. “Really? Andromeda allows it? And what do you mean by it being ‘fully accepted’ in the Whirlpool Galaxy?”

“Andromeda allows it, but not everyone has the same rights as heterosexual couples. In Whirlpool, everyone is granted the same rights. And people are treated equally there.”

“That’s… that's amazing!” Sho exclaims in astonishment. “So there's no prejudice in Whirlpool or Andromeda?”

“Andromeda is still a nice place for gay couples - they're not granted the same rights as you can get in Whirlpool, but yes, for the most part it is accepted,” Ohno explains with a nod.

Sho stares at him in awe. “Wow. I have heard of other galaxies that allow it, but only in theory. It is quite amazing to see how different the Milky Way Galaxy is compared to other galaxies.”

“There are, but each galaxy has its own strengths and weaknesses, ” Ohno says calmly with a shrug.

Sho grimaces and goes back to looking at the ground, pulling on a few strands of grass. “No, we are backwards. The Milky Way Galaxy is not a place that accepts everyone.”

Ohno doesn't respond, just watches Sho’s expression. He looks… sad and frustrated.

Ohno is about to say something in response, but is immediately cut off by the sound of fireworks being released into the air. Sho lets out a surprised gasp beside him.

The fireworks are beautiful, bursting into flashes and sparks of colour as they shoot and dance in the night sky. The cluster of stars that are already in the sky make the imagery even more surreal, and Ohno can see reflections of colour from the fireworks on the nearby stars.

“This is amazing!” Sho exclaims excitedly beside him as he looks up at the sky. Ohno thinks the image makes him look like a young child, a child who has never seen fireworks before.

But Sho is not a child, far from it. Ohno has to tear his gaze away from Sho. Sho’s excitement for the fireworks makes him look younger, less tired, and so much more handsome. His worries seem to have disappeared when the fireworks began and Ohno wonders if this is what the real Sakurai Sho is like.

_Stop it, Satoshi.you know nothing can happen._

But Ohno can always wish, right?

“Seriously, I have never seen such a magnificent display before!” Sho continues as he stares up at the sky for a little longer before turning back to Ohno with a large grin. He looks so handsome, and all Ohno wants to do is kiss that smile off his face.

“It's pretty,” Ohno agrees, his eyes still on Sho. Sho laughs. And are they suddenly sitting closer?

“It’s beautiful.” Sho sends him a warm smile, and Ohno wants, he wants so bad. He wants, he wants, he wants— Sho definitely realizes what's he's doing because he's looking at Ohno with a baffled expression.

Ohno jumps back quickly, when he realizes exactly what he's doing. He's just a centimetre away from Sho’s face now and Sho is staring at him wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Flushing in embarrassment and anger (at himself), Ohno quickly gets to his feet.

“Sorry,” Ohno says as he starts gathering his belongings. “Sorry,” He says again, louder this time. He needs to get out. He needs to escape the situation. He needs to—

“Wait!” Sho exclaims and grabs his wrist. Ohno tries to tug it back, but Sho’s grip is strong. “Where are you going? Wait!”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I—” Ohno is frantic, trying to get away from Sho, but Sho isn’t having it. He looks more annoyed than confused now.

“Satoshi-kun!” Sho shouts and pulls Ohno towards him. Ohno nearly goes flying at the sudden force and finds himself falling forward with a yelp. Sho quickly catches him and they both tumble to the ground, Ohno landing right on top of him. “Ouch…” Sho winces.

“I’m so sorry!” Ohno moves to get off of him but Sho grabs him again.

“Satoshi-kun, stop!”

Ohno stares at him. Their faces are only a centimetre apart, and Sho’s face is flushed red. “Sho-san, what—”

And then suddenly, Sho pushes Ohno off of him. Ohno watches in confusion as the other man grabs his pack and begins stalking away Ohno. Still on the ground, Ohno looks at Sho’s retreating back in disbelief. He looks around him and notices that some people are looking his way and whispering. Frowning, Ohno slowly gets to his feet.

_What just happened?_

 

“Did something happen between you two?” Jun asks sharply as he corners him when Ohno finally climbs back on board. Ohno blinks at Jun owlishly before shrugging. “Sho-kun just passed by several minutes ago with the reddest face I’ve ever seen. Did you kiss?” Jun demands, putting his hands on his hips.

Ohno shakes his head, making his way to their cabin. He grimaces. Right, he has to see Sho again. Ohno braces himself for the awkwardness.

“Satoshi-kun!” Jun chides, breaking him out of his reverie.

“Jun-kun, I’m very tired right now. I’ll answer tomorrow, okay?” Ohno says tiredly as he pushes the door open to where the cabins are at. Jun quirks an eyebrow at him but nods.

“Fine.” Jun frowns. “But I want the full details tomorrow.”

“Good night, Jun-kun.” Ohno gives him a smile before walking away. Jun rolls his eyes and waves him off.

 

Ohno takes his time getting to his shared bedroom with Sho. He has no idea what to expect. He had no idea what had happened earlier. What had that all been about? For a second, Ohno had thought that Sho might have wanted to kiss him too… but that was a ridiculous thought. How can a prince of the Milky Way Galaxy like someone like him? _I’m nobody right now._

When he reaches the front door, Ohno closes his eyes and takes a few deep breaths. When he finally gets his nerves calm down, he places his hand on the door handle and slowly turns the knob. The sight that greets him is rather ordinary: Sho is lying in his own bed, his back facing Ohno’s side of the room. He appears to be asleep, his bag and clothes thrown at the floor of his bed in a haphazard manner. Quietly making his way inside, Ohno shuts the door behind him and slowly makes his way towards his bed. He places his bag down at the foot of his bed and dives straight under the covers, not even bothering to change out of his clothes. He doesn’t want to wake Sho up, and he’s too exhausted from tonight’s events.

 _I don’t even know what happened_ he grumbles to himself.

Ohno sighs and turns on his side to face the wall in front of him. He looks over his shoulder and sees that Sho is still sleeping. Frowning, Ohno turns back to the wall. He tries to recount the events back in his head. He was leaning closer to Sho, his subconscious seeming to want to kiss Sho; he pulled back because he realized what he’s trying to do; he tried to get up and walk away from the situation, but Sho pulled him back; and they almost kissed; then Sho pushed him off him and storms away. Ohno frowns—just thinking about it gives him a headache. None of it seems to make any sense.

Ohno decides not to dwell on it any longer for tonight. He’s tired (both physically and emotionally). He’ll deal with the aftermath tomorrow. Closing his eyes, Ohno prepares to drift off into dreamland… but suddenly, there’s a hand on his shoulder. The hand shakes him gently.

“Satoshi-kun, are you sleeping?” Sho is whispering as he gently touches Ohno’s shoulder and lightly shakes him again. “Satoshi-kun, can we talk?”

Ohno groans and turns around to face him. The man is kneeling on his knees in front of Ohno’s bed, and he’s so close. If Ohno could, he could probably kiss Sho right then and now, his lips pulled in a tiny pout when Ohno looks back at him with a bored expression.

“Yes, Sho-san?” Ohno asks, trying to pretend that Sho’s close vicinity isn’t bothering him.

Ohno can hear his blood pounding through his ears. He watches as Sho looks down at the floor, biting his lips, seemingly lost in thought. Ohno has no idea what to expect from Sho right now; whatever it is, it’s scaring him.

“Sho-san…?” He asks again, trying to encourage him to speak.

“Satoshi-kun, I—” Sho begins before stopping again, frowning at him.

Ohno purses his lips before pushing the covers off and sits up. Sho moves back a bit to accommodate him but the man’s gaze is still on him.

“Sho-san, are you—”

Suddenly, Sho reaches up with one arm and pulls him down by the neck and locks their lips together. Ohno flinches and pushes himself away from Sho.

“What— ?!” He exclaims as he gapes at Sho in bewilderment..

Sho looks back at him with a stricken look painted on his face. “I—”

“Why did you do that?!” Ohno shouts, panicking. He has no idea what's going on, and being kissed by Sho is something he hadn't been expecting. At all.

“I-I—I thought…” Sho seems speechless as he stares at Ohno, and he can see the panic building up in Sho’s face as well.

“You thought what?!” Ohno has no idea why he's freaking out, but he really needs to know what's going on. Why did Sho kiss him?

Sho looks abashed now, his face slowly turning red. Before Ohno can get another word out, Sho quickly gets to his feet and sprints for the door.

But Ohno is faster.

Ohno quickly throws the covers off and grabs Sho’s arm before the man has the chance to leave the room. “Sho-san, wait!” He shouts, dragging him back.

Sho tries to pull his grip away from him, but Ohno quickly throws his full body weight on Sho, causing them to fall over and hit the floor with a loud thud. Ohno hopes that no one else can hear them right now; it’s in the middle of the night, and most of the crew members are asleep.

“Oof!” Ohno cries as he lands on top of Sho again, reminiscent of their earlier moment at the starburst village, except this time, Sho is lying on his stomach. Sho groans beneath him, and Ohno realizes he's pressing against the man’s back too hard. “Ah, sorry!” He cries as he pushes himself up, but not off of Sho. He can't let Sho escape again.

“Satoshi-kun… please,” Sho groans against the floor.

“No. I'm not letting you go until you tell me what was that earlier,” he says sternly. He pokes Sho in the side, ignoring the way Sho flinches at the action. “Or I'll tickle you to death.”

“I really don't want to talk about this…” Sho mumbles in despair.

“Well that's too bad, because I do.” Ohno settles on top of Sho, straddling the man’s waist with his thighs. In the back of his mind, he is fully aware of how they look, but Ohno really needs to know: what did Sho mean by that kiss? “Talk,” he demands.

“I don't know what you want me to say….” Sho mumbles as he lifts his head to twist his head back at him. “I got the message, Satoshi-kun.”

Ohno shakes his head. “No I didn’t. You just kissed me and then ran for it.”

“Do I really have to explain myself?” Sho whines pathetically.

“Yes,” Ohno responds, “why did you kiss me?”

Sho remains silent for a few minutes after he asks again before sighing, his body deflating as he finally admits defeat. Ohno’s not going to let him go until Sho actually tells him what he means. _I'm really too old for this misunderstanding business_ he thinks with a grimace.

“You won't… hate me… if I tell you?” Sho asks nervously.

“Of course not.”

“I don't know about that,” he mumbles under his breath. He remains quiet, and Ohno wonders if he should ask again before Sho finally breaks the silence. “I like you.”

Ohno freezes. Out of all the things Sho could say, that had definitely been on the bottom of his list. Sure, Ohno may have assumed that Sho may possibly reciprocate the same feelings that he has, but Sho can also just be curious about everything, especially if Sho has lived in the Milky Way Galaxy for all his life. It's not too far fetch of an assumption to make.

“You… like me?” Ohno repeats quietly as he slowly gets off of Sho’s back in shock. He leans against his bed, eyes wide as he tries to soak in the new piece of information he just received. Sho _likes_ him.

Sakurai Sho _likes_ him.

Sho rolls on his back and sits up, avoiding his gaze. Ohno continues to stare at the man’s hunched figure before him in astonishment.

“Yes…”

“Since when?”

Sho looks up to meet his gaze before blushing as he looks away shyly. “I started liking you two weeks into our journey… but I have always thought you were… handsome.”

“Why?” Ohno blurts out. He had no idea. He hadn't seen any of the signs.

“Because you're nice, kind, honest…. and you helped me. It's hard not to.” Sho bites his lips. “Do I really have to….”

Ohno shakes his head frantically. “No! I mean, that's okay. Wow.”

“Is it really shocking though?” Sho asks worriedly as he finally musters up the courage to look at him again. He's frowning, and all Ohno wants to do is kiss it away. “I thought I was rather obvious about it. Jun-kun and Masaki-kun said I was really obvious.”

“No!” Ohno exclaims, shaking his head in disbelief. “I had no idea.”

“They told me you liked me back, but... your reaction earlier seemed to tell me otherwise,” Sho mumbles. Now it's Ohno’s turn to blush. That had not been one of his finest moments.

“That's because I wasn't expecting it,” he says carefully.

“So…” Sho scoots closer to him, and Ohno just stares at the man as he leans in closer towards him. “If you knew what to expect… would you let me kiss you?”

Ohno’s gaze drops to Sho’s plump lips. He has dreamed about kissing this man for the past few days. He looks back up at Sho, noting that the distance between them has lessened considerably since Sho has started moving closer to him. He's about a centimetre away, and Ohno _wants_ him so badly.

“Satoshi-kun,” Sho whispers as he meets Ohno gaze this time. Ohno makes a questioning small noise at the ball of his throat on reply. He can feel himself getting hotter as Sho’s big eyes look into his own. “Can… can I kiss you?”

And he looks so scared, and so hopeful, and Ohno can feel the butterflies dancing in his stomach in this moment. A moment he had honestly no idea that would come true.

“Yes…” he whispers before Sho closes his eyes and closes the distance between them.

As far as first kisses go, this one isn't really one to talk about. _But that doesn't even matter._ It may not be much to talk about, but it will forever go down as one of his most memorable ones because it’s with Sho.

Sho’s lips are pressing gently against his, but he isn't really doing anything other than that. Ohno wonders if the former prince is nervous. _Is this his first kiss with a man?_

When Sho pulls apart, the man’s face is bright red, but he's smiling. His smile is so infectious that Ohno can't help but to send one of his own back. He is a bit disappointed about the kiss though, and he wonders if Sho will let him kiss him again. _I need to show him what a real kiss should be like._

“Sorry,” Sho apologizes as he pulls back a bit and leans on the side of the bed next to Ohno. “It's my first time kissing a man. I don't really know what I'm doing.”

“It's not your first kiss, right?”

Sho shakes his head. “Not even close. I've kissed plenty of girls before, but I've never kissed a man,” he says shyly.

He had a feeling. Ohno slowly gets up and sits on the bed. He pats the spot beside him for Sho to join him. Sho sends him a confused look but complies to his request. When they're both facing each other, Ohno leans forward into Sho’s space. Sho jumps a little, but doesn't pull back.

Taking this as a sign that's it's okay, Ohno places a hand on Sho’s shoulder and pulls him in for another kiss.

Ohno licks at Sho’s bottom lips, asking for entrance. Sho opens his mouth and Ohno _takes._ He doesn't hold back, fully intent on letting Sho know that kisses between two men are the same as a man and a woman, or maybe even more intimate than that. He takes control of the kiss as he sucks on Sho’s tongue. Ohno moves both hands up to cradle Sho’s face, his left hand caressing Sho’s face as he explores Sho’s mouth.

Ohno hears Sho gasp as he takes full control of the kiss, not letting Sho try to to take charge of it. He takes his time exploring Sho’s mouth, letting Sho’s tongue probe him back occasionally as he feels Sho loosens up into the kiss. It continues on for a while, their mini game of tug-of-war for dominance with their mouths, and when they finally pull apart, Sho is panting softly, his eyes wide and looking incredibly overwhelmed.

“That,” Ohno says as he watches Sho lick his lips, “is how you should’ve kissed me, Sho-san.”

Sho blushes and looks away to the side of the bed. “Our first kiss was pretty bad, huh?” He asks sheepishly.

“Mm… I wouldn't say that, but hey, there's a first for everything.” Ohno winks at him and laughs. “It's okay—oof!”

Ohno suddenly finds himself falling backwards on the bed as Sho pins him down by the shoulders. Ohno blinks in confusion up at him as Sho hovers above him on all fours. Sho looks down at him with a determined expression.

“I won't accept this. I’ll show you what I can do, Satoshi-kun,” he declares shakily.

Ohno quirks an eyebrow at him, completely amused at the sudden turn of events. He’s not complaining though; if this allows him to kiss those plump lips longer, Ohno will always allow it. Sho slowly leans down, stopping when he’s just a few millimetres away from Ohno’s lips.

“Go on,” Ohno whispers as he stares into Sho’s eyes. Sho purses his lips nervously, and Ohno lets the man take his time. Finally, Sho leans down and captures his lips once more.

Ohno relaxes and lets Sho take control of the kiss this time, opening up when Sho asks for entrance. He reaches up and wraps his arms around Sho’s neck, bringing the man closer to him. They kiss for a few more minutes before Sho pulls back. Ohno grins as he sees the redness of Sho’s lips.

“Not bad,” Ohno teases, “the second attempt was definitely better.”

Sho snorts and rolls off of him to lie in the empty space beside him. There’s hardly any room for two men in such a tiny bed, and Sho is practically lying half on top of him; his legs are thrown over Ohno’s own, and his arm is splayed across Ohno’s chest. Ohno scoots closer to the wall to make more room for Sho and grabs Sho by the waist to pull him closer to him. Sho follows his movements easily and pretty soon they’re squashed against each other. Sho’s strong arms wrap around him and Ohno can’t control the grin that breaks out on his face.

“That was nice…” Sho murmurs above him. Ohno grunts in agreement. It was nice. Ohno wants to do it again. “Should we—”

Ohno pulls away slightly and reaches up to grab Sho’s face between his hands, cradling the man’s face gently between his palms. Sho looks back at him in confusion.

“I want to kiss you again.” Ohno mumbles before pushing forward to capture Sho’s lips. Sho relaxes against him instantly and slips an arm over his waist to pull him flush against his chest. Ohno sighs happily into Sho’s mouth as he allows the man to take dominance of the kiss.

They spend the rest of the night exploring more of each other’s mouths. Ohno doesn't want it to end.

 

The next morning, Ohno wakes up to Sho’s sleeping face right beside him. Their legs are tangled together under the blankets Sho had pulled over them last night when they finally decided to end their kissing session and go to sleep.

Ohno smiles sleepily as his eyes trace over Sho’s features. He looks much younger when he’s asleep, his face looking a few years younger than his actual age. He also looks much more relaxed, and Ohno wishes he can get Sho to be like this all the time. It’s getting better though; in the beginning of the voyage, Sho had been more uptight. The past couple of weeks, Ohno has seen Sho let down his barriers more.

Last night had been surreal. Ohno had not expected for it to happen at all. He had been set on his judgement that Sho could not like men in a romantic sense. _I guess I was wrong…_

Suddenly, Sho breaks the silence. “I know you’re staring at me,” he mumbles before opening his eyes slowly to look at Ohno. Ohno grins and slips a hand under his head and watches as Sho yawns and stretches, trying to get the sleep out of him. “I can’t say I don’t like it though.” Sho smiles at him when he rolls back to face Ohno and looks at him cutely. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” he returns back happily.

“You’re up early. You usually sleep in a little longer,” Sho remarks as he lets Ohno pull the blankets off of them and rearranges his limbs so that he can sneak in closer to Sho.

“Mm… “ Ohno closes his eyes and takes in the quietness of their room.

“Satoshi-kun?”

Ohno smiles and opens his eyes to look at Sho’s beaming face. “Yeah?”

“I was just wondering…” Sho purses his lips. Ohno waits patiently as he lets Sho gather his thoughts. “I was wondering… what are we now?”

“Have you ever been with a man?” Ohno asks as he slips an arm over Sho’s waist. He feels Sho tense against him for a slight moment before relaxing into his embrace.

“No… you’re my first…” Sho says shyly with blush. And then he frowns, his brows furrowed and he looks at Ohno worriedly. “Is that okay? I’m not very experienced in…”

Ohno shakes his head. “It’s okay. But is this your first time having these type of feelings for a man?”

Sho sighs and reached between them to grab Ohno’s other hand into his, gently clasping them in a lover’s hold. “No. That’s… that’s actually why I left.”

Ohno stills. Sho hasn’t said much about his reason for leaving, and now Sho is going to reveal the truth. Ohno needs to make sure he doesn’t say or do anything to make Sho uncomfortable. “Why did you leave?” Ohno asks gently.

“I… I was tired,” Sho begins shakily, “I was tired of living a lie.”

“A lie?”

“Since I was young, I have always known that I preferred the company of men. But…” Sho trails off, casting his eyes down between their clasped hands.

“You had to pretend,” Ohno says softly and squeezes Sho’s hand. Sho nods but doesn’t look up.

“I realized that no matter how hard I tried to deny it, I couldn't change the way I felt towards other men,” he replies sadly, whispering the last part of his sentence.

“What made you decide to leave?”

“My father… I have tried to put off the topic of marriage for quite some time… But as I have reached my 30th year… he had arranged for me to take a wife.”

Ohno brings their clasped hands up and plants a small kiss on Sho’s fingers. “What you did was very brave,” he says kindly, stroking Sho's fingers with his thumb, “not everyone can do what you did and pave their own path.”

“It is scary,” Sho admits and looks up at Ohno again, “but I have never felt more free.”

“Are you worried about your family?”

Sho frowns, mulling over Ohno’s question. “I do,” he admits, “some days I wonder if I made the right choice to leave—leave my duty, leave my crown, leave my people. But I realized that it is better for them to have a ruler who isn't living a lie, and who isn't as selfish as I. Someone who doesn’t think of his own happiness. My brother will make a far better king than I will ever be.”

“Selfish or not, I'm glad you're here,” Ohno says quietly. Sho smiles.

“I am too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter four will take a little longer to be out, but have no fear... the end is almost in sight! Thanks for reading and drop me a comment below what you think of it so far if you like :D. Until next time~


	4. Part IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh... I'm tired. I'm sorry this took so long. I hope the length makes up for it! Not particularly happy with this chapter, but it has to be written *sighs*. Here's hoping next chapter turns out better. I apologize for any and all typos. Thanks to my beta for looking this over.

_We jumped over a wall forbidding entry and ran_  
_It was a feeling like we'd obtained freedom_  
_I wonder if it will be alright　You smiled_  
_Follow me　Let's make a secret_

**

 

The dynamics of their relationship don't change for the most part.

They've both agreed to keep the relationship under wraps. In public, Sho and Ohno maintain a friendly facade, carrying on as they always do, except they hang around each other in public more often.

Ohno had thought they’d done a good job in hiding their new relationship, but a few days after they had gotten together, Jun had sent a smirk their way and Aiba had given them both a thumbs up when they sat down for lunch together. Ohno should've known he couldn't fool them. Sho had been incredibly embarrassed about it, and Ohno had to convince him that it was okay if Jun and Aiba knew—that they wouldn't judge or out them (especially since Ohno was convinced the two co-captains had something going on as well). It had taken Sho a few days to finally meet Jun and Aiba’s eyes.

Ohno loves being with Sho at night best. At night, in the safety of their shared room, Sho lets down his barriers. They do a lot of talking in between cuddles and kisses. Sho tells him about his past, his childhood, and his rebellious teenage years. Ohno tells him about some of his travels among the stars.

Sho and Ohno try to hold mini “dates” every night. Ohno can't sleep without doing a little art before bed so Sho tags along when he goes. They sit on top of the captain’s deck, far away from the eyes of the crew. It's here that Sho has no problems stealing kisses with Ohno among the stars. Ohno doesn't really get much drawing done when Sho is in the mood.

Sho has become braver in sharing and reveling in his affections with Ohno.

At first, Sho had been shy to initiate kisses between them, even when they were in the safety of their bedroom. Ohno always has to be the one to initiate it, taking note of Sho’s shyness and hesitancy as a sign of him not knowing what is okay with Ohno. Sho has had lovers in the past, but never men.

Ohno always kisses him first, gently, coaxing the former prince so that he feels comfortable about giving his affections away easily to him.

Once they enter the third week of the relationship, Sho finally gathers the courage to initiate the kisses. Ohno enjoys it, loving the way Sho’s body hovers over his in bed as they kiss and touch one another, like they can’t get enough. It makes Ohno feel like a teenager again, kissing Sho like he craves it with every fibre of his being. Sho has dropped his inhibitions around him when they kiss and Ohno loves it.

In their last makeout session, Ohno and Sho had gone a little farther than they usually had.

Ohno is no stranger to sex. He has slept with both men and women before, has had experience with the strong and hardy touch of a man’s, and the soft gentleness of a woman’s.

Ohno has always slept with people he held great regard for. Ohno generally doesn’t wait that long before taking the next step with his partners, but Sho isn’t just any partner. No, Sho is special—even if they have only known each other for a couple of months. Ohno doesn’t want to pressure Sho into doing something he doesn’t want. He has to wait for Sho to make the next move. Sho is the one who holds the reins in their relationship.

As Ohno lies in his bed and contemplates about sex with his lover, he doesn’t realize that Sho has entered their bedroom.

“Satoshi-kun, what are you thinking of so deeply?” Sho teases as he closes the door behind him.

Sho yawns and dumps his notebook on the desktop table. He has taken to teaching the crew in the evenings now, when they’re all finished with their duties for that day. Jun had no problems with Sho teaching the crew how to read and write, but he definitely does not want it to happen during the day. “They have work to do!” Jun had barked sternly when asked about the matter.

“Hmmm…” Ohno rolls over on his side to face Sho. Sho moves to sit down on the bed, turning a little to meet Ohno’s eyes. “I was just thinking…”

“Yeah?”

Ohno bites his lips. How does he go about asking his boyfriend about sex if the man just got comfortable with kissing him only a week ago? _I shouldn’t be too greedy,_ he thinks to himself as he hugs the pillow to his chest tighter.

“Satoshi-kun?” Sho asks worriedly and places a hand on his shoulder and giving it a rub. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes, don’t worry about it, Sho-kun.” Ohno mentally berates himself. There’s no way he can bring up the topic of sex to Sho this early in the relationship. _I’ve waited longer to have sex with my other lovers before Sho, I can definitely wait for him now._ Ohno knows he’s being selfish. He can’t pressure Sho into having sex with him, no matter how badly he wants it.

“Satoshi-kun, you’re frowning. Just tell me what it is.” Sho moves to lie down beside him, wrapping an arm around Ohno’s waist and pulls him close. Ohno allows himself to be pulled against Sho, breathing in Sho’s musky smell of the night sky, sweat, and ink. It’s vastly different to the scent that Sho had when they first met— Sho had smelled of flowers, wine, and perfume then, the scent of the palace.

“It’s nothing…” Ohno mumbles into his lover’s shirt.

“It’s clearly not nothing if you’re not telling me what it is,” Sho scolds gently as he he places his chin on top of Ohno’s head.

“Nosy…” he mumbles.

“Come on, Satoshi-kun, whatever it is, I won’t be mad. I… I’m not boring you, am I?”

Ohno flinches and pulls away to look at Sho in surprise. “No!” he exclaims loudly and shakes his head frantically. “Sho-kun, no! Nothing like that!”

Sho looks relieved at Ohno’s immediate denial, but his relieved expression is short-lived. He frowns. “So then, what is it?”

Ohno hesitates on what he should say to Sho. He really wants to ask him, but he knows it’s a very poor topic to bring up. _Don’t be selfish, don’t be selfish, don’t be—_

“Is…” Sho says warily, breaking Ohno’s train of thought, “...is this about… sex?”

Ohno blinks owlishly at him. _How did…_

Sho chuckles and runs a hand through his own hair. “I guess I was right.”

“Ah, Sho-kun…” he mumbles in shame. Had he been that obvious?

“Did you want to have sex?” Sho asks curiously as he eyes his boyfriend. Ohno stares at him.

“Do you?” he repeats the question in bafflement. Sho looks to be taking this… easily. Well, easier than what Ohno would have assumed he would act.

Sho blushes and averts his gaze. “Um, if you don't mind my lack of experience…” he mumbles. It’s almost indiscernible, but Ohno has always been great at making out mumblers; he _is_ one himself.

“Really?” he exclaims in astonishment and leans forward.

Sho turns even redder and Ohno can’t help but think how cute he looks. “Y-yeah…”

Ohno grabs Sho’s hands into his and squeezes them. “I’m willing if you’re willing,” he says gently to him. “I don’t want to pressure you though.”

Sho shakes his head. “It’s fine, I’ve been… I’ve been pretty curious about it,” Sho says meekly as he looks back at him. “But I.. I don’t really know what to do though…” Sho sends him a worried glance. “I’ve never… with a man.”

Ohno shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. We’ll figure it out when we get there, okay?

Sho bites his lips. “I— okay.”

Ohno smiles and snuggles against Sho’s chest. “I was so scared to approach you about this topic.”

Sho begins to caress Ohno’s head. “Sex?”

“Hm. I didn’t know how you felt about it.”

Sho chuckles. “Oh, believe me, I thought about doing the act with you a lot. But I’m scared.”

“Why?”

“I don’t have any experience, and I don’t want to hurt you,” Sho says quietly.

Ohno shakes his head slowly. “You won’t. I’ll be there to help you, okay? Stop worrying, Sho-kun.”

Despite their agreed decision to finally take the next step, they actually don’t get around to it until a few days later. Ohno has been busy trying to find the perfect timing for the whole thing, and seeking the necessary items for the special occasion. Sho has kept quiet about the topic as well, but Ohno knows that Sho is anticipating the day too. They are both men in their thirties with healthy sex drives after all.

Finally, three days after their decision to take the next step, Ohno and Sho are finally in their room to actually make it come true. Ohno had pushed the beds together to make it easier for them, and sets the jar of oil down on the floor beside the bed.

Sho stands awkwardly beside him, clearly nervous at what's to come. Ohno sends him a reassuring smile and sits down, taking Sho’s hand into his. “Don't worry so much,” he says and pulls Sho down on the bed. “You're clean, right?” Sho nods shyly. Ohno grins. “Well, that's good.”

Ohno is once again lying on his back with Sho hovering over him. _He seems to like me on my back_ , he thinks with amusement as he lets his hand trace the curves of the strong muscles on Sho’s back. Sho leans down and locks their lips together. Ohno gives a small hum of joy and wraps his arms around Sho’s neck, opening his mouth to let Sho explore.

“Clothes,” Ohno murmurs as he unwraps his arms and slides his hands up Sho’s shirt. Sho hums happily and helps Ohno remove his top, flinging his shirt to the floor. Sho’s hands start getting to work on Ohno’s clothes next. He pulls off Ohno’s top before sliding his hands in the waistband of Ohno’s pants.

Ohno thrusts up, rubbing their groins together and causing them to moan in unison. “Pants off,” Ohno grunts as he pulls the strings of Sho’s pants loose. A minute later, both of them are divested of their clothes and Ohno pulls Sho down for more body contact.

Suddenly, Sho flips their positions and Ohno is now lying on top of him. Ohno straddles Sho’s thighs and looks down to admire the view.

Ohno lays a hand on Sho’s chest and lightly caresses around his chest and softly pinches his nipples. Sho lets out a small gasp but doesn't move. He stares up at him as Ohno continues his exploration. As his hands trail down to the flat panes of Sho’s stomach that is decorated with abs that Ohno can hardly resist, he suddenly notices a small glimmer of silver at Sho’s belly button.

“What's this?” Ohno asks as he touches it lightly, causing Sho to shiver a little.

Sho chuckles and reaches out to place his hand on top of Ohno’s. “It's a belly button piercing. They were all the rage twenty years ago, and I secretly got it done.”

“I've never heard of it, but it’s…” Ohno is still staring at it and touches it gently. “It's cute.” It's a small stud-like thing, nothing special, but there's something about it that's cute… and _hot._ “I didn't realize you had this.”

“I bought it when we went to the starburst village, but I didn't know if there was any alcohol around for me to clean it with until I saw Masaki-kun holding a bottle of it today. Surprise?” Sho grins up at him, slightly embarrassed at Ohno’s fascinated stare.

“It's really… hot.” Ohno slides himself off of Sho’s legs and sinks his head down to the man’s stomach to lap at the piercing. Sho gasps and spreads his legs instantly to give Ohno more space.

Ohno laps his tongue around the piercing before placing his mouth over Sho’s belly button and sucks on it gently. Sho flinches as the sensation and Ohno grins against his skin and slowly makes his way down the man’s body.

Sho’s hard, and Ohno is delighted to see Sho enjoying this so much. Spitting in his hand, Ohno wraps his hand around Sho’s length and strokes it gently.

“Ah!” Sho exclaims softly and clutches at the bed sheets. Ohno turns his gaze towards Sho who has closed his eyes shut and writhing in pleasure as he adds more pressure. After doing this a few more times, he can hear Sho going, “Please…”

“Hm? What?” he says in response, pretending to play dumb. Sho groans in frustration as Ohno adds a twist of his hand in his movements, never increasing his speed but never slowing down too much either. Ohno knows it’s utter torture for Sho.

“Please… please, Satoshi-kun….” Sho pants as he clenches as the sheets and pushing his hips up for more friction.

Ohno laughs and takes his hand off of his cock. Sho growls in frustration and sends him a comical glare. Ohno smirks at him before sliding downwards on the bed so that his face is in front of Sho’s cock.

“Oh,” Sho breathes before letting out a gasp when Ohno presses a soft kiss to the tip before engulfing it to the hilt. Sho’s hands come up to tangle in his lover’s hair and he tries to muffle his moans as Ohno sucks his cock, licking the sides and moving to the tip to swirl his tongue around the tiny beads of precum. Ohno tries to relax his throat when Sho unconsciously pushes his head down more.

Ohno continues to suck and lick Sho’s cock, quickly bringing him to the edge. When Ohno feels that Sho’s about the come, he quickly releases him with a pop of his mouth and fists his cock to prevent him from coming.

“Satoshi—!” Sho cries in frustration at him, but immediately shuts up when he sees Ohno reach for the jar of oil. “...Oh.” He looks at him with wide eyes.

Ohno laughs and unscrews the jar and dips his hand in the oil. He swirls his fingers around, coating it generously before setting the jar down on the table beside them and reaches behind him. Sho immediately sits up.

“Oh, you are…?” he asks nervously.

Ohno smiles at him and shakes his head. “It’s fine, Sho-san. It’s your first time with a man, right?” Sho nods in reply. “Like this is fine.”

Sho bites his lips but can’t look away as Ohno closes his eyes when he pushes one finger in, letting out a deep exhale before adding a second one in.

Ohno can feel himself get excited at the image of Sho watching him prepare himself. It’s strangely intimate, even if the act itself is something Ohno has done many times before in the past. Suddenly, he feels Sho lay a hand on his arm. He looks up at him in confusion.

“Can…” Sho licks his lips nervously, “... can I do it?”

“Sure, do you know how?” Ohno asks, slowly sliding his fingers out. Sho blushes but Ohno just smiles. “It’s okay, I’ll guide you. Here, put some of the oil on your fingers.” They change their positions so that Ohno is now lying back on the pillows with his legs spread wide open. Sho kneels between them, his eyes wide as he looks down at him. Ohno nods, trying to fight a blush that’s threatening to appear from Sho’s rapt attention. “Go ahead, you can put two in now, since I already stretched myself a little bit.”

“If you’re sure…” Sho says shyly before pushing two fingers in very slowly. Ohno tries to relax himself when Sho begins pumping his fingers in and out of him, scissoring them every so often. He must have been scared to hurt him (and Ohno’s heart warm at that), but the slow progress they’re making is starting to drive him a little mad.

“Please,” Ohno begs, “add one more finger.”

“Isn’t that—”

“It’ll be okay. Just do it please,” Ohno groans. Sho looks at him hesitantly but does so anyway. When he adds a third finger in, sliding all the way to the knuckle, he accidentally brushes against Ohno’s prostate, emitting a low moan from him. “Do that again…” he gasps. Sho follows his request, and moves his fingers to brush against his prostate again deliberately. Ohno lets out a whine and begins pushing back against Sho’s fingers. When he turns his gaze to Sho, his lover is looking down at him in fascination. Ohno tries to fight the blush that’s threatening to form on his cheeks again.

“Let’s do it,” Ohno grunts, averting his gaze and reaching for the oil.

“N-now?” Sho stammers, but doesn’t move away. Ohno nods and dips his hand in the jar of oil. He puts it on the side carefully before reaching out for Sho. Sho shuffles closer and Ohno coats his lover’s cock with the oil, stroking the entire length.

When he's done, Ohno grabs one of the pillows and stuffs it underneath him. He spreads his legs on both sides of Sho and beckons him closer. Sho looks at him nervously as he does so.

“Whenever you're ready, Sho-kun,” Ohno says relaxing into the bed.

“Are you sure?” Sho asks hesitantly. “I don't want to hurt you.”

Ohno shakes his head and sends him a reassuring smile. “You won't. I'll let you know if it does, okay?”

That seems to placate Sho a little and he reaches for Ohno’s leg, wrapping it around his waist before taking hold of his length and guiding it to Ohno’s opening. “Okay, I'm doing it now,” Sho says nervously.

Ohno grunts in response. He closes his eyes when he feels the blunt head of Sho’s cock on his hole before it pushes in. _Oh,_ Ohno thinks, letting out a small gasp at the unexpected pain. When Sho hears him whimper he immediately stops, much to Ohno’s dismay. “No,” Ohno chokes out, “keep going.”

“But I'm hurting—”

“Sho-kun, please.” He grits his teeth and looks up at him. Sho purses his lips but obeys his order. Ohno scrunches his face as Sho continues entering him until he reaches the hilt. “Wait,” Ohno pants, wrapping his legs around Sho’s waist tighter.

It burns. Even though he has prepared himself thoroughly, he should've known that there still will be pain because he hasn't had penetrative sex for a very long time. Taking a deep breath, Ohno waits for the pain to go away.

Once he feels the pain slowly subsiding, he gives an experimental push against Sho. Sho tenses above him but remains still. After a few more thrusts against Sho, Ohno squeezes his thighs against him.

“I think you can move now, Sho-kun,” he says breathlessly. Sho grunts and looks down at him worriedly. Ohno clenches around him, eliciting a gasp from Sho. “Move.”

Sho realigns his hold on Ohno’s waist before he begins to move. Ohno let's out a small pained noise—the stretch still isn't enough. Sho almost stops again but Ohno pushes against him to force him to keep going.

After a few more thrusts, the pain starts to ebb away and the pleasure begins to kick in. Ohno lets out a small groan as the pleasure begins to build within him.

“How… are you?” Sho asks as he continues thrusting into Ohno in that maddening slow pace.

“Sho-kun, faster!” Ohno says, reaching up to grasp at Sho’s elbows. Sho grunts and picks up his pace, thrusting into Ohno faster than before. Ohno groans and lies against the sheets, letting himself relax as Sho pushes into him. He feels like he's on fire. Everything feels so good. Ohno reaches down to grasp his length, stroking it in time with Sho’s thrusts.

“Satoshi-kun…” Sho moans as he removes one hand from Ohno’s waist to place it over Ohno’s hand and strokes it in time with his own thrusts as well. The sensations of and the intimacy is too much for Ohno and he comes into both their hands as Sho continues to thrust in him.

Ohno lets out a quiet shout as he clenches around Sho, who only manages a few more thrusts before coming inside of Ohno. Ohno gasps as he feels himself getting filled by Sho and reaches up to pull Sho down for a kiss. They kiss slowly, taking time to explore each other before pulling away panting.

“Are… are you okay?” Sho whispers against Ohno’s lips. Ohno gives a small nod.

“Yeah,” he breathes, stroking his hand through Sho’s sweaty hair. He gives a soft kiss to Sho’s lips before falling back against the bed. “I'm tired.” Sho chuckles before lifting himself off and slowly pulls out of Ohno. Ohno let's out a small wince when he feels some of Sho’s cum slips out of him and he reaches down to wipe some of it away.

“Let's sleep,” Ohno suggests sleepily as Sho pulls the covers over them and wraps an arm around Ohno’s waist.

“Excellent idea. We can clean up in the morning,” Sho agrees tiredly.

Ohno grins and snuggles closer next to Sho.

 

“You guys did it.”

Ohno pauses midway in his quest to grab the fresh slice of bread to turn around at the smug voice.

Jun is smirking at him, standing there with his arms crossed. Ohno quirks an eyebrow at him before resuming his mission for bread.

“There are a lot of things I did, Jun-kun, you need to be specific.”

Jun seats himself beside him and stares at him as Ohno reaches for the butter on the table. They’re the only ones in the cafeteria at the moment, everyone else having ate an hour ago. Ohno’s a little sore from last night, but he's still feeling happy from yesterday’s activities.

“Don't play coy, you know exactly what I'm talking about,” Jun says as he rests his head on his hand. “I'm actually surprised you guys did it so quickly. I thought you would've waited a little longer.”

Ohno pauses mid-bite to stare at him in surprise. “Why?”

Jun looks around to see if there's anyone with them before leaning in and whispers teasingly, “I thought royals waited a little longer before having sex.”

Ohno snorts and takes a big bite of his bread. “Royals aren't as dignified as we try to be.”

Jun laughs. “Don't I know it, Satoshi-kun.”

“Hmm… but I was more surprised that Sho-kun actually knew what I wanted.”

Jun shrugs. “You guys have been dating for… what, a month now? I'm not surprised. And it's a ship. There's not much else you can do on one besides sleep, eat, shit, and do your duties.”

Ohno almost chokes on his bread at Jun’s nonchalant tone. Coughing, Ohno reaches for his glass of water and downs it. “Well, that's one way to put it,” he chokes out, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I try to be as honest as possible,” Jun says with a laugh and pats Ohno on the back. “But hey, I'm glad you guys are doing well. You both… especially Sakurai-kun, seem happier.”

“Happier?” Him? He can definitely see it in Sho, but him? Really?

Jun nods. “Yeah, you’re much more relaxed nowadays. And you actually smile and talk more.”

“I wasn't happy before?”

“It's not that. Before, you were… you were happy but it just seemed fleeting. Like you were just happy in the moment. But now… you seem happy even when you're not doing something that makes you happy.”

Ohno gapes at his friend.

Jun has thought that about him? Noticing his shocked expression, Jun snorts and pats Ohno on the arm.

“No need to look so shocked, just keep doing whatever you’re doing with Sakurai-kun. It’s working out for you both.” Jun flashes a smile at him.

“Hmmm…” He still feels a little weirded out that Jun has noticed that about him. Them.

“Just don’t tell Masaki about your sex life,” Jun says in exasperation as he gets up from the table. “Or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

 

“We’re finally nearing Andromeda! Just four more days to go!” Aiba announces cheerfully the next day. The crew all give an ecstatic shout, and Jun is already shooting off a list of things they need to purchase when they arrive to Toma.

Ohno frowns and looks over at Sho who’s happily engaged in a conversation with Aiba and Fuma. He and Sho haven't talked about the after yet, and now that they're nearing their destination, Ohno realizes that they can't put it off any longer.

It's scary how they have known each other for only three months, but Ohno feels like he has known Sho for years. Ohno knows Sho wants to ask him about it: the want is reflected in the man’s eyes when they discuss about their relationship.

Ohno doesn't know what to do. He has no intention of staying in Andromeda, preferring to go further into the star system and settling down at a smaller galaxy, but Ohno knows he can't ask Sho to do that.

Sho is meant for the bigger galaxies, galaxies that hold endless opportunities, the galaxies that allows him to be all he wants to be. Ohno also doesn't want to take advantage of Jun and Aiba’s hospitality either. He can't ask them to sail him to another galaxy that's three months away. They may love the stars, but they also have to make money for themselves too.

Ohno is conflicted. For sure he will not leave Andromeda right away. He has to help Sho settle down, but then what? Staying in Andromeda is risky. He’ll get recognized.

But they have to talk about it. And Ohno hopes that whatever decision he makes, it'll be one he will not regret.

He decides he will talk to Sho about it tomorrow. He watches as his lover brings his head back and lets out a hearty laugh at something Aiba has just told him. When Sho catches his eyes, the other man sends him a wide grin. Ohno smiles back before turning to walk back to the dorms to start his daily chores.

 

“Have you figured out what you’re going to do?” Aiba asks him later that evening. Ohno blinks up sleepily at Aiba as he munches on his steam bun.

“Hm?”

Aiba takes a bite of his own steam bun, chews slowly and swallows it before replying, “You and Sho-chan. What are you going to do when we get to Andromeda?”

Ohno sighs and sets his bun down on the plate before him. “I don’t know,” he says tiredly, “we haven’t talked about it.”

Aiba frowns and takes another bite of his bun. “Really? Like, not at all?”

Ohno shakes his head. “No, I have no idea how to approach it.”

“It’s not hard, Satoshi-kun,” Aiba says with a roll of his eyes. “And Sho-chan really wants to talk to you about it.”

“I know…” Ohno groans, “but I don't know what to say.”

“Hmmm…” Aiba pops the last piece into his mouth and chews slowly. “Would you consider staying for him though?”

Ohno frowns and stares at the half-eaten bun in his hands. “Not really. I have never seen myself living in Andromeda at all. I'll be recognized too easily.”

Aiba gasps. “Sho-chan doesn't know yet?!”

Ohno shakes his head. “No, I haven’t gotten around to telling him. And I…” he pauses, “I don't think it's a good idea.”

“But why?” Aiba asks in confusion.

Ohno shrugs. “I think the idea of him being in a relationship with another prince might scare him off. He's already so scared about even the idea of commoners knowing… how is he going to act when royals know?”

“But Satoshi-kun…. you can't keep it a secret forever…”

“I know,” he says with a sigh. “I'll tell him eventually, but just not now.”

“Okay, but you need to talk to him. Do it tonight. He's really worried, you know?”

“I will, thanks, Masaki-chan.”

Aiba grins and sends him a two-fingered salute. “No problem at all, your majesty.”

 

After dinner, Ohno immediately heads for his room. When he arrives, Sho is already grabbing Ohno’s things for their regular mini date tonight.

“Ah, Satoshi-kun!” Sho greets happily and gives Ohno a small peck on the lips when he makes his way over. When he moves to turn away, Ohno grabs the front of Sho’s shirt and pulls him back to capture the man’s lips.

Sho lets out a tiny surprised gasp at the action, but happily lets Ohno take control of the kiss. He hums into the kiss, happily letting Ohno explore his mouth and lets his arm wrap around Ohno’s weight to pull him even closer.

Once they pull apart for a breath of air, Ohno finds himself aroused by the sight of Sho’s red kissed lips. Ohno takes the hand around his waist and holds it up to his lips and kisses his knuckles. Sho blushes at the gesture, but he looks pleased. “Let’s not go out tonight,” Ohno suggests and pushes Sho to the bed, making the man fall backwards. He climbs on top and straddles the man’s waist. “I want you.”

Sho’s eyes soften at him, and Ohno can see just how much affection the man holds for him. The tight feeling in his heart doesn’t go away. Reaching up to cradle Ohno’s face in his palm, Sho sends him a smile that always does things to him. “Of course.”

Ohno lets himself forget just a little longer.

 

“You've been tense ever since you got here, is there something wrong?”

Ohno stiffens against Sho before forcing himself to relax again. After going two rounds, both of them have decided to stay in bed for the rest of the night. Sho yawns before turning on his side to meet Ohno’s gaze with a worried look. They’re both naked, only covered with the flimsy blanket thrown carelessly over the lower half of their bodies.

“Sho.” How does he even begin to go about this? Sho looks at him expectantly. Ohno realizes he needs to go another way to introduce the topic without any misunderstandings or complications between them.

“You can tell me anything,” Sho says patiently and smiles at him.

“What… what do you plan to do once we get to Andromeda?” Ohno finally asks. Sho shrugs.

“I have no idea yet. I have to find a place that I can live at first,” Sho says with a frown. “And you? Will you be coming with me?”

Ohno rolls on his back and stares up at the ceiling. “I… I don’t know.” Sho stays silent beside him and Ohno turns his head to look at him. “I never had any plans of staying in Andromeda.” _I had no plans falling for you either._

“Do you want to end this?” Sho whispers softly. He looks so hurt and Ohno wishes he can take back what he had said earlier.

Ohno shakes his head. “I don't want that at all. I… I really like what we have together, Sho-kun. I really like you.” He hears Sho let out a small sigh of relief and the bed shakes as he scoots closer to him. Ohno places his head on Sho’s shoulder, letting himself bask in the warmth of his lover’s body. “I just don’t know if I want to stay in Andromeda?”

“But why?” Sho asks, puzzled. “Wouldn’t it be okay for us? They accept same sex relationships don’t they? We don’t have to hide.”

“Are you ready to take that step though?” Ohno questions him. Sho bites his lips. Ohno shakes his head. “See, you’re not evey ready to tell people, and I don’t blame you at all, but even if we did, I still would not prefer to live in Andromeda.”

“But why?”

 _How do I go on telling him that I might be recognized?_ “It’s… the society is not for me.”

“We don’t have to live at the Andromeda constellation, Satoshi-kun. We can stay at a smaller constellation in the galaxy,” Sho suggests.

Ohno shakes his head. “I just don’t feel like the Andromeda Galaxy is right for me…” He’s adamant about this. He really doesn’t think Andromeda will be a good idea for him to settle in. _And I can’t ask him to go somewhere else, especially since he has been looking forward to this for months. But..._

Sho frowns and turns his head to the side, lost in his thoughts. Ohno looks up to try to decipher the expression on his face, but it’s hard to tell. Ohno sighs and realizes that Sho isn't going to say anymore about the subject. He rolls to the other side of the bed, facing away from him.

Ohno just hopes that something good will come out of this. He doesn’t want to lose Sho, doesn’t want to lose something precious that he is able to find after such a long time, but…

_I have to see what fate has in store for us._

The next morning, Ohno wakes up to an empty bed. Ohno frowns as he places his hand on the spot beside him and realizes that the sheets are cold. Sho has been up for a while now. While it’s not uncommon for one of them to wake up earlier than the other, they generally stay in bed until the other person gets up.

After getting dressed and brushing his teeth, Ohno heads for the kitchen in hopes of seeing Sho there. Once he reaches the room, there’s no sign of his lover in sight. The crew greet him enthusiastically, and Ohno looks around for any sign of his friends, but both of them are missing too.

Frowning to himself, Ohno takes a seat at the table on the far end. _Where is everyone?_ He grabs a sandwich from one of the nearby plates and begins to munch on it.

After finishing his breakfast, Ohno heads out to the ship’s deck. Just as he’s about to walk out the door, Jun and Aiba appear at the doorway. Aiba greets him first.

“Morning, Satoshi-kun!”

“Masaki-chan, Jun-kun,” he says in return, giving them both a small smile in greeting.

Jun smirks and points behind him. “If you’re looking for Sho-san, he should be on deck.”

Ohno quirks an eyebrow at him. “How did you know that?”

Aiba giggles and claps Ohno on the back. “That’s because he was talking with us the entire morning.”

“Huh?” Ohno asks in surprise, “Why?”

Aiba shakes his head and wags a finger in front of Ohno’s face. “Secret! You’ll know when you talk to Sho-chan. We’re going to get breakfast now, Satoshi-kun.” They both sent him twin smirks and walk off to join the others at the table. Ohno watches his friends’ retreating backs in bewilderment. Frowning, Ohno turns around and makes his way to the deck.

When he finally reaches the deck, he sees Sho leaning against the railing of the ship, looking out at the sky before them. Ohno makes his way over to his lover quietly. He comes right up beside Sho and leans against the railing, taking in the sight before him.

The ship is currently at a standstill in the morning. It’s rocking on top of the mass amount of stars below them, and Ohno has always wondered how something as heavy as a ship can easily move through small clusters of stars. He’s so engrossed in his thoughts that he doesn’t realize Sho has been calling him for the past few minutes.

“Satoshi-kun!” Ohno snaps out of his reverie and turns to Sho, who has an amused grin on his face. “Finally,” Sho says teasingly as he reaches out and pets his head, combing his fingers through Ohno’s hair. “Welcome back.”

“Ah, sorry…” Ohno says sheepishly, leaning into Sho’s touch.

“What were you thinking about?” Sho asks happily, continuing his caressing. Ohno closes his eyes and hums in pleasure at the wonderful feeling of being petted by Sho

“Nothing, really.”

“Uh huh.” Sho removes his hands from Ohno’s hair before leaning on the railing with his elbow, resting his face on his palm. “Have you eaten?”

Ohno nods. “Yeah, I just had breakfast.”

A comfortable silence falls over them. Sho has turned to look back at the skies again, at the stars that twinkle in the daylight. He takes note of Sho’s tense posture, and frowns. Suddenly, Sho lets out a loud sigh before turning back to him, crossing his arms as he directs his gaze at Ohno seriously.

“I need to talk to you about something.”

Ohno simply nods and looks around. There are only a few crew members on the deck with them at the moment, occupied with their assigned duties in the morning. Ohno turns back to Sho who looks at him nervously. “Did you want to go back to our cabin?”

Sho nods and bites his lips. “I… I think that will probably be the best idea.”

As they make their way back to their shared cabin, several things race through Ohno’s mind at once. He's feeling a little unsettled at whatever it is Sho wants to tell him, but he knows that nothing good will come out of it until Sho actually tells him. _Best not to jump to any conclusions…_

Once they reach the safety of their room, Ohno takes a seat on their bed and looks up expectantly at Sho. Sho hesitates at the door for a short moment before walking over and drops down beside him.

“Satoshi,” he begins quietly, not meeting his gaze, “I… I spoke to Masaki-kun and Jun-kun this morning.”

“Yes, they told me you had,” Ohno replies calmly, trying to not let his voice waver to show how nervous he is.

“And I… I thought about what you said yesterday night,” Sho continues looking down at his hands in his lap. “And I realized that I don’t want us to part,” he whispers the last part of his sentence.

Ohno rests his head against Sho’s shoulder. “I don’t want us to part either. But Sho-kun, I— “

“Which is why I asked Jun-kun and Masaki-kun if I could join the crew, or stay with them for as long as you are with them,” Sho continues. Ohno flinches and pulls away to look at Sho in surprise.

“What?”

“Satoshi…” Sho reaches for his hands and places them on his lap. Ohno stares at him. “I thought about it last night. I realized that even if I’ve only known you for a few months, I developed a strong bond with you, and I don’t want to throw it away. So I… I asked Jun-kun and Masaki-kun if I could join their crew to be with you.” At this point, Ohno is staring at him with his mouth opened wide.

They have never really talked about their feelings in depth. Ohno knows that they are both strongly fond of each other, but they’ve never really discussed it. Ohno doesn’t want to call it love just yet, but he knows that given time, he will definitely develop such feelings for Sho. It’s a scary but exciting thought.

Sho is still talking, his words becoming more rushed and jumbled, as he gets more and more nervous at Ohno’s silence. “And I wanted you to know that if you don’t want to continue this or have me around, I understand. But I’m serious about this, about us, and I really want to see where we can go from here. I don’t mind travelling the stars with you. I just want to be with you. You’ve done so much for me and I—”

Ohno cuts him off by kissing him. He feels exhilarated with joy. The fact that Sho wants to stay with him and be with him on the ship means so much. He pours all of his feelings into this kiss, in hopes that Sho will understand. Sho makes a questioning noise at the back of his throat but easily returns the kiss, kissing back desperately as he clutches onto Ohno’s clothes to bring them closer.

Ohno gently pushes Sho down on the bed, not breaking away from the kiss. Sho makes soft whimpering noises as Ohno straddles the man and begins peppering his neck with butterfly kisses.

“Satoshi….” Sho groans and gently tugs on Ohno’s hair to pull him back up to face him. Ohno stares into Sho’s eyes and gives him a soft kiss on the mouth before pulling away.

“I'm so happy right now,” he says with delight as he beams at him. Sho grins back and cradles Ohno’s face in his palms.

“So I take it that it's okay? Okay for me to follow you?” Sho asks hopefully. Ohno chuckles and leans in to capture Sho’s lips again.

“It's more than okay,” he murmurs against Sho’s lips before probing the man’s lips for entrance.

Sho lets Ohno in and begins to remove Ohno’s pants as their tongues start battling for dominance and their breaths becoming little gasps as they try to get some air in between kisses. Ohno lifts his hips to help Sho remove his pants and starts working on Sho’s own clothes.

Soon enough, both of them are finally naked and Sho is kneeling between Ohno’s legs with the jar of oil. Sho has one of Ohno’s legs over his shoulder while the other one is laid flat on the bed spread wide.

Ohno groans when he feels Sho slip two fingers in him slowly. He bucks his hips and pushes back against them. “Come on, come on! I won't break. We just did it last night, Sho-kun.”

Sho sticks his tongue out at him playfully and proceeds to stick a third digit in and begins to thrust them back and forth rapidly. Ohno curses into his arm loudly. “I don't want to hurt you,” he says simply as he ignores the sigh of pleasure Ohno is releasing. “And there’s no need to rush.”

Ohno grimaces and turns his face into the pillow. “There’s no need to be that care— ah!”

Ohno moans as Sho slides into the hilt without warning and wraps his legs around his lover’s waist. Sho grabs Ohno’s left leg and brings it up to his shoulder, allowing him to slide in even further. Sho starts off with shallow thrusts to allow Ohno to get used to the penetration.

“Hngg…” Ohno moans as he bucks his hips and tries to push back against Sho’s thrusts. “Faster!”

Sho complies with Ohno’s request and grabs onto the man’s hips and speeds up, thrusting into Ohno in long and deep bursts that makes him curl his toes in pleasure. Ohno feels overwhelmed— more so than he has been before when they’ve made love. There’s something special about it this time, and Ohno wonders if it’s because of the situation.

Sho wants to be with him, stay with him, willing to give up on settling down for a bit just to be with him. He feels incredibly lucky that Sho is willing to throw his once chance at finally living a quiet life away on solid ground just to be with him among the stars for a while. The intensity of the situation and his feelings makes everything so much more overwhelming. Ohno gasps when his orgasm suddenly hits him and he clings on to Sho as the pleasure ripples throughout his body. Sho continues thrusting, stretching out the orgasm before he comes shortly after, and falls on top of Ohno tiredly.

Ohno hums happily and brings his hands up to hold Sho’s hold face to bring him for a kiss. Sho returns it happily, biting on Ohno’s bottom lips teasingly.

Sho slowly pulls out, making sure not to make a mess. Reaching over Ohno, he grabs a cloth on the bedside table and begins to wipe the cum off of Ohno’s stomach and between his legs. Once he’s done, Sho throws the towel on the floor and lies down beside his lover, tangling their legs together. Ohno reaches between them to intertwine their fingers. He gives Sho’s knuckles a small peck. Sho smiles and brushes his hand through Ohno’s messy sweat-slicked hair.

“Sleep,” he says in a low gentle tone as he strokes Ohno’s hair.

It resonates in his dreams.

 

“Alright, boys! We’re going to be here for a while unless something comes up, so enjoy your shore leave.”

The crew lets out an enthusiastic cheer and everyone disperses to get to their tasks of the day. Ohno stands at the side and watches as Aiba and Jun debate on who's watching the ship today.

“Do you want to get lunch with me?” Ohno looks up at Sho, who appears right beside him dressed in a red yukata. Ohno smiles.

“Sure, why not?” he agrees happily.

“Hey! Why don't we all go together?” Aiba asks cheerfully as he walks over and throws his arms around their shoulders. Behind them, Jun is glaring at his co-captain’s retreating back before walking in the other direction with a scowl on his face.

Sho chuckles as their friend grins at them. “Won the argument?”

“Of course!” Aiba exclaims excitedly. “Jun-kun always gets to visit the towns first, so I'm making him stay this time.”

“It's only fair,” Sho teases and laughs when Aiba nods with an exaggerated serious face. “Are you ready to go now, Masaki-kun?”

Aiba shakes his head and holds up his hand. “Let's meet at the plank in five minutes? I just need to get some coins and the list of stuff Jun needs me to get for him.”

“Sure, see you soon, Masaki-kun.” Sho waves him off. “Did you have anything you wanted to get as well, Satoshi-kun?” he asks, turning to his lover.

Ohno shrugs and shakes his head. “No, I have everything with me.”

“That's good. What would you like to eat, Satoshi-kun?”

“Anything is good. Although… let's avoid mapo tofu. I've had enough of that for the past week.”

 

After lunch, the three of them head towards the central marketplace of the city. Aiba splits up with them once they reach the city fountain, claiming he has to run some errands for the day or else Jun will have his head when he returns. Waving their friend off, Ohno and Sho take a seat at the benches nearby and watch the flock of people walking past them.

“Was there something you wanted to see, Satoshi-kun?” Sho asks as they watch a small group of boys running around in circles, chasing a puppy.

“I was planning to visit the art store,” Ohno replies with a frown and takes out his coin pouch. “And then I thought to go do some sketching at one of the historical sights.” Sho chuckles and takes out a piece of paper from his bag.

“I actually planned out what I wanted to do today. There's so many places in Andromeda City that I haven't been to before.”

“Yeah, it's a big city,” Ohno agrees.

“I won't drag you with me, since you already have plans today, Satoshi-kun.” Sho smiles at him before neatly folding his itinerary back in his bag. “Why don't we split up for today? We can do something tomorrow?” Sho suggests.

“Like a date?” Ohno teases and sends Sho a grin. Sho blushes and Ohno finds himself fascinated by the dust of pink on Sho’s cheeks.

“Yes. We haven't had a proper one yet. I want to take you out,” he says softly and looks around, trying to see if anyone has heard them.

Ohno laughs and wiggles his eyebrows at him. “And we can act like naive and innocent teenagers on their first date,” he whispers, trying to make Sho more comfortable about discussing the topic in public.

“I hope not,” Sho says and blushes even more, “I don't plan on doing anything innocent after that date.”

“Sho-kun, you're so romantic!” Ohno says with a laugh. Sho pouts at him and that makes him laugh even more. Once he gets his amusement under control, he pats Sho on the shoulder. “Sure, I would love that.”

“That's great!” Sho exclaims happily before getting up. “I guess we should do whatever we want to do now then. It's already noon.”

Ohno nods and gets up as well, and stuffs his coin pouch into his bag. “Should we set a time for when we should meet up again?”

“What about seven in the evening by the fountain? It's easy to spot and the best place to find again,” Sho suggests, looking at the fountain.

“Sounds good.”

“Great! I'll see you soon, Satoshi-kun! Don't spend the entire day in the store, okay?”

Ohno waves at Sho’s retreating back before looking back at the marketplace again. Right. Shopping. As he makes his way back to the marketplace, Ohno observes his surroundings. It's been years since he's visited the capital of Andromeda, and the place looks the same as ever. Ohno wonders how Satomi is doing.

“Maybe I should make a quick visit?” he mumbles to himself as he makes a right turn into an alleyway that will lead him to the Arts district. The palace guards all pretty much know him unless the palace had changed their staff since his last visit.

The district looks the same as ever, and Ohno is happy to see several of the art stores he's frequented years ago are still in business. He walks past a few windows, all of them showcasing different art supplies and some have paintings on display. Just as he’s about to enter one of the paint stores, a shockingly familiar calls him from behind.

“Satoshi? Ohno Satoshi? Is that you?”

Ohno freezes. There’s no way… it’s been years since he’s last heard that voice. That same familiar nasal voice from his childhood.

“Satoshi?” the voice asks again. Ohno turns around slowly and gapes at the man before him.

“K-K-Kazu?!” Ohno sputters in astonishment. What is his cousin doing here in Andromeda? His cousin grins as he rushes over to him and throws himself on him. Ohno immediately raises his arms to catch him.

“Satoshi! I knew it was you! I would recognize that slouch anywhere!” his cousin exclaims with a bright laugh.

Ninomiya Kazunari hasn’t changed, only looking a tiny bit older because of the years they haven’t seen each other. He is still skinny; still pale; and he still has that youthful face, looking like he hasn’t aged since hitting his twenties. He’s wearing a dark grey and black kimono, the man’s hair cut in a manner that makes him looks younger than his actual 29 years of age. Ohno is in utter disbelief because he had not expected to run into the man at Andromeda City, of all places.

“What are you doing here? Have you been this galaxy all this time?” Nino asks in bafflement as he looks at Ohno up and down. “Did you get darker? Where the hell have you been?!” Nino demands as he places both hands on his hips in anger. _And his mood changes so quickly_ he thinks in fond exasperation. Ohno looks around them and notices that several people are looking their way. Nino has never cared about making a scene in public, especially if he’s mad. _He's never had to worry about that,_ Ohno thinks to himself wryly.

“Nino, stop,” Ohno mumbles, trying to calm his cousin down.

“Damn it, Satoshi! I have been looking for you everywhere since your disappearing act five years ago! Where the hell have you been?” Nino is fuming now, ignoring the looks from the other market goers as he glares at him. Ohno sighs as he grabs his cousin’s hand and drags him away, trying to find a secure spot for them to talk. “Where are you dragging me?!” Nino growls as Ohno finally pulls them into an empty alleyway.

“Nino, what are you doing here?” Ohno asks, ignoring the question.

“I’m working. Diplomatic matters, of course. What are _you_ doing here?! Your parents have been looking for you, you idiot!” Nino yells as he glares at him.

“Is everything okay?” Ohno asks worriedly. Nino rolls his eyes.

“Yes it is. But the king and queen are more worried about where the hell their son is. You imbecile, why did you just leave like that?!” Nino punches him in the arm, and Ohno winces, rubbing at the spot. “I don’t know whether to be mad or happy that I finally found you!”

“I was going to come back eventually…” Ohno mumbles. Nino rolls his eyes.

“Were you? Were you really, Satoshi?” Nino snaps as he crosses his arms and leans back against the wall of the building behind him.

Ohno shrugs. “Eventually.”

“Where have you been all this time anyway?” Nino asks suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at him.

“Not in Andromeda.”

“Then where?”

Ohno purses his lips. “You don't need to know. Your guards are probably looking for you, we should head—”

“Did you even miss me at all, Satoshi?!” Nino asks in frustration as he looks at Ohno with hurt in his eyes. Ohno sighs.

Yes, yes he has. Ohno regrets not being able to bring his cousin with him, and he knows that Nino would drop everything to follow him. His cousin had taken his departure the hardest back then.

Growing up, Nino had been shipped off to the palace at a young age to learn the ways of the nobility and make a man of himself among the Ohno’s, even if he didn't have any place or role with the ruling family. He went by Ninomiya Kazunari instead of Ohno Kazunari. His mother, Kazuko, had renounced her title and name when she married a Ninomiya, a commoner, against the wishes of the king and queen. Kazuko had wanted Nino to know his roots, and she knew that he had potential to become something great, so she sent him to the palace to live and work.

Ohno’s mother accepted her nephew easily, despite protests from the former king. Nino had been shy as a child, not saying much to anyone unless prompted to speak. When he had met Ohno, the younger boy had taken to him immediately, attaching himself to the older boy and followed him everywhere he went. Ohno didn't mind; Nino was a cute kid, and when he finally got comfortable around him, Ohno found that he was an excellent conversationalist (because he isn’t).

When the rest of the royal family found out about the talents the young Kazunari held, they immediately put him in diplomacy training, something they had forced Ohno to take as well, but he had no interest in going that way. When Nino had finally finished his training, he immediately set sail for other constellations in their galaxy to build up experience, taking on the name of Nino. _Kazunari is too long to remember, and too formal,_ Nino had said when he told the king and queen of his decision. Ohno is sometimes bewildered at how fast time has gone by since then.

“Of course I did, don't be stupid,” he says gently and flicks Nino on the forehead. Nino grimaces and rubs at the spot. “What's happening back home?”

Nino’s eyes brighten. “This is perfect! Since you’ve saved me the task of finding you, I'll just drag you back with me!”

“Why…?”

Nino shakes his head. “Mina is getting married. And you _have_ to be there.”

Ohno stares at Nino in shock. His sister is getting married?! Nino nods as if he understands exactly what's going through his mind right now (he does).

“Yep, and the younger brother has to be there, or it'll look bad.” Nino pokes him in the shoulder. “So, you can't get out of this one now!”

Ohno sighs and crosses his arms. “I wasn't planning to.”

His cousin quirks an eyebrow at him. “Oh really? Anyway, my ship is currently docked at the pier. We should go now then. I'm done my task here.”

“What were you doing?”

Nino shrugs. “I had to deliver some information to Queen Satomi about the latest mattresses.”

“... What?”

“Did you know Queen Satomi is on a hunt for the best beds in the universe? Apparently our galaxy makes some of the best beds, and she wants them.” Ohno’s eyes widen at that before he lets out a hearty laugh. Satomi-chan has always been a little unusual. Nino smiles and lets out a giggle himself. “Yeah, that’s Queen Satomi for you. Anyways let’s go back to the ship…” Nino reaches out to grab his hand, but Ohno quickly slaps it away. He feels for the extreme reaction, but he can't go back with Nino just like that.

“Satoshi, what—?!” Nino asks, hurt.

“I'm sorry Kazu-chan, but I can't go back with you on your ship,” Ohno says. Nino glares at him.

“So you were planning to bail!” he cries angrily.

“No!” Ohno denies quickly, “it's just that… I have friends with me. And I can't ditch them like that. ”

Nino perks up at the explanation, anger forgotten already. “Friends? What friends?” Ohno wants to sigh at his cousin’s mood swings.

“I came here with them.”

Nino crosses his arms in annoyance. “Well, they can't board our ship. Commoners on a diplomatic fleet? Unheard of!”

Ohno knows that. “Which is why I think that they should come to the wedding too.”

“What?!” Nino hollers and Ohno has to shush him again. “You're inviting commoners to the wedding?!” he hisses in disbelief.

“Why not? The ceremony is public anyway, isn't it?”

Nino sighs and rubs his temples. “Satoshi, the wedding itself is private and only for family and invited guests. The announcement is public. Honestly, how can you not know this?” he asks in exasperation.

“It's not like marriage is something I think about, Nino.” Ohno pouts. “And besides, they’re my friends, why can't I invite them?” And also because Sho is going to have to find out… eventually.

“Commoners to a royal wedding?” Nino deadpans.

“The prince’s friends,” Ohno corrects him. “Look,” he says and crosses his arms to match his cousin’s stance. “If you want me to attend this wedding—”

“There shouldn't be an if! It's your sister’s wedding—”

“If you want me to attend the wedding,” Ohno cuts in loudly, completely speaking over Nino’s complaints, “then my friends have to be able to go with us.” There, he has made his conditions clear.

Nino glares at him and Ohno quirks an eyebrow in response. They continue this up for another minute or so before Nino finally deflates with a sigh.

“Fine.” Then he straightens up and walks right up to him, staring straight into his eyes. “I'll allow this. But!”

Ohno looks at him warily. “But…?”

Nino narrows his eyes at him before crossing his arms. “I'm boarding your ship.”

 

“Why do you have to go with me?” Ohno hisses as they make their way back to the market. Nino hums cheerfully beside him as they weave through the crowd.

“Honestly, we haven't seen each other in years, Satoshi. I'm not letting you out of my sight for another five months. Plus, how do I know you’ll keep your word?” Ohno lets out an indignant squawk of denial. “And… and… I missed you,” Nino mumbles the last part shyly.

Ohno sighs and wraps his cousin in a hug, knowing that the other man had wanted to do so since they reunited. Nino’s arms automatically wrap around him. When they finally pull apart, Ohno realizes they're still in the middle of the market. He blushes when a few passersby stare at them as they walk by.

Nino, unfazed with their public display of affection, just brushes imaginary dust off his shoulder, carrying on like they didn't just have a sappy moment in the middle of the streets. “Anyway, where are we going again?”

“Um, to find a friend of mine.” Ohno looks around for any sight of Sho. They are supposed to meet back at the fruit stall past the afternoon. “We split up earlier to do our own errands.”

“Hmmm…”

Suddenly, Ohno turns around and drags his cousin to the side. Nino sighs at the manhandling but bears with it as Ohno leans in close to him. “What?” he asks in an irritated tone.

“Listen, Kazu, I need you to remember something.”

Nino quirks an eyebrow at him. “Eh?”

“He doesn't know I'm Ohno Satoshi. I go by Samejima Satoshi. ”

“Wow, you made a fake identity for yourself,” Nino says in amusement.

Ohno shakes his head. “It was necessary.”

“Hmm… well okay,” Nino says with a shrug. “Are we also pretending we’re not related?” Trust Nino to ask the important questions.

“Uh… that's probably for the best. But we can keep your title. Your face is well-known because of your job.” And then a thought hits him— does Sho know Nino? “Kazu,” Ohno says urgently.

“Yeah?”

“Have you ever ventured out to the Milky Way Galaxy?”

Nino rolls his eyes. “No, and I don't plan to. That galaxy is too old-fashioned for my taste.” Ohno lets out a sigh of relief. Nino looks at him curiously and pokes him in the shoulder. “Why?”

Ohno smiles at him sheepishly. “My friend is from there. And uh…”

“Satoshi-kun!” Sho’s voice calls him from behind. Before turning around to greet his lover, Ohno catches the look of bewilderment on Nino’s face.

“No fucking way,” Nino says in disbelief.

“Don't say anything,” Ohno hisses before turning to greet Sho with a smile. “Hi Sho-kun.”

“Hey!” Sho calls back and turns to Nino. “And… I'm sorry I don't know your name.”

“You can just call me Nino,” the younger male drawls.

“Ah, Nino-san,” Sho says nodding at him with a smile. “It's nice to meet you. I'm Sho.”

“Pleasure,” he returns and sent a quick glance at Ohno.

Sho looks a little taken back at the cold reception and Ohno really wants to run away right now. “Are you guys friends?” Sho asks politely as he moves to stand beside Ohno.

“Yes,” Ohno cuts in before Nino can, “we’re childhood friends. I haven't seen him in years.”

Ohno hopes this doesn’t backfire on him.

 

Later, when the reach the ship, and after all the explanations and bewildered looks, Nino grabs Ohno by the hand and drags him off. Ohno yelps and Nino calls over his shoulder that he needs to speak to Ohno in private. The crew stares after them with looks of puzzlement and curiosity.

Nino pulls him to the other side of the deck; they're still in full view of everyone but no one can hear them.

“Satoshi!” Nino hisses as he looks over at Ohno’s friends. “You never told me you were in a relationship with someone! And with the crown prince of the Milky Way Galaxy, of all people!”

“I should've known you would know him…” Ohno mumbles grumpily.

“I'm a diplomat, of course I would know the one and only Sakurai Sho, crown prince of the Milky Way Galaxy, who has been missing for the past three months!” Nino growls. Then Nino’s expression changes to one of disbelief.

“What?”

“Did you… did you kidnap him?!”

Ohno sends him a piercing look. Nino shrugs and looks back over at the group still standing near the ship’s entrance.

“It's a possible reason.”

“And start an intergalactic war?” He snorts. “Real funny, Nino.”

“What is he doing here?”

“I can't tell you that.”

Nino’s mouth drop opens. “What? Why?”

“It's personal, Kazu. Now I need to go talk to the others about the rooming situation.” He starts towards the captains but Nino pulls him back by the arm.

“Why aren't we rooming together?” Nino asks in confusion. Ohno looks at him in mild surprise.

“You don't want your own room?”

Nino shrugs. “I just assumed we would room together,” he says, still holding onto Ohno’s arm.

Ohno purses his lips. While Ohno wouldn't normally be bothered with the idea of rooming with his cousin, Ohno doesn't want to give up his only chances of being with Sho right now. Adding to the fact that the journey home is another five months away… Ohno doesn't know if he can forgo five months of private time with Sho. Yeah, definitely not.

“I'm already rooming with someone, but I can see if Masaki-chan and Jun-kun can give you a room for yourself.”

Nino frowns but shrugs. “Okay, whatever. Are the beds comfy at least?” He stiffens. “Wait. Rooming with someone?” He whips his head at Ohno and gapes at him. “You're already sleeping together?!”

Ohno whacks Nino’s arm. “Shhh! Not so loud!” he hisses, clamping his hand over Nino’s mouth. “No one knows.” He sees Sho sends a concern look at them but Ohno just shakes his head.

Nino sends him a bemused look and pulls Ohno’s hand away. “No one can hear us. Everyone's at the other side of the deck.” Nino throws an arm over Ohno’s shoulders. “Now…” he whispers gleefully as they start walking toward the others. “You need to tell me about your new man later. I want details: what's the prince like in bed?!”

Ohno sighs. At least some things don't change.

When Ohno explains to his friends that he needs to attend Mina’s wedding (in the captain’s quarters), Jun and Aiba agrees to set sail for Whirlpool. However, Jun had said that they would set sail a week later— he wanted to give everyone time to enjoy themselves at Andromeda City for a bit. Ohno had agreed wholeheartedly.

They don't set sail for another week despite Nino’s complaints on getting a head start on the journey. During that whole week of rest for the crew, Nino sticks to Ohno the entire time, only leaving him alone when it's time for bed. Ohno can see Sho sulking during the day when Nino tags along with them on their “dates.” While Ohno misses his cousin’s barbs and sharp tongue, he does find it a little frustrating that his time is being taken away from Sho.

Ohno decides to approach his cousin about the issue on the third day of the week when they have decided to relax at a local park. They're both sitting in a secluded spot, giving them less chance of actually being recognized. Sho has gone with Aiba for some errands that afternoon so Ohno decides he should catch up on some sketching.

“Kazu-chan, why do you always tag along with Sho and I?” Ohno asks.

“Well, that's a stupid question. I need to see if he's good enough for our prince,” Nino retorts back immediately.

“Kazu, you do know I'm not next in line for the throne, right?” Ohno says in exasperation as he fills in his sketch of a bird he saw earlier that morning. Nino is leaning back against him.

“Doesn't matter. You're still a prince, and in line for the throne regardless,” Nino says lazily.

“I think Sho-kun is getting annoyed,” Ohno says tiredly. “You shouldn't provoke him.”

Nino laughs. “But it's fun! He makes this tiny scowl when he thinks we’re not looking, Satoshi.”

“You're just going to make him your enemy if you keep stealing my attention,” he says with a shake of his head.

“I don't see you complaining,” Nino teases and leans his head back on Ohno’s shoulder. Ohno reaches up and pats his cousin on the head.

“I don't mind your affections, but you do need to be careful. Sho-kun doesn't know we’re family,” he says with a frown. He knows Sho is getting annoyed and suspicious of all the touches shared between him and Nino, but Ohno can’t push his cousin away; it would hurt his feelings. Nino has always been affectionate with him, and Ohno knows it’s just his cousin’s way of showing his love and trust for someone.

“Fine,” Nino sighs dramatically and waves a hand between them. “I’ll grope your ass less.”

“I’d rather you not do it at all.”

“But Satoshi, how will you know how much I love you?” Nino says in mocked hurt. Ohno rolls his eyes and punches Nino lightly on the arm.

“You’re such a pest.”

“Hmm, but I’m a cute pest! Besides, it’s fun seeing Sho-kun all riled up.”

Ohno snorts and puts his sketchbook and pencil down beside him. He stretches out his legs and leans back against his cousin. “You rile almost everyone up.”

Nino throws his head back and lets out a loud chuckle. “Don’t hate me because I’m cute.”

“I could never hate you,” Ohno says whimsically and he looks up at the sky. “But just tone it down a little for me, please? The others don't know you're my family, and we both agreed to keep it a secret for now.”

Nino sighs. “I'll try. But you have such a nice ass, Satoshi.”

“I don't understand why you have such a fascination with it.”

“Satoshi,” Nino says sternly, “this is how I show you my love.”

Ohno snorts and elbows Nino in the back gently. “By touching my butt?”

Nino nods and responds in a deadpan voice. “By touching your ass.”

“You're so weird, Kazu-chan.”

“Personally, I think I'm adorable!”

 

On the last day of the shore leave, Ohno goes with Nino to get his belongings from the diplomat ship. It turns out that Nino has told the captain to relax and enjoy their stay in the city for the same amount of time the Kaze crew were staying.

Ohno feels a sense of nostalgia as the diplomat vassal appears into view. It's been such a long time since he's last stepped into this particular ship, and he's suddenly bombarded with all the moments and crazy situations he had gotten himself into because of Nino and himself.

“Did you want to wait here for me or did you want to come with me onto the ship?” Nino asks as they approach the ship.

“Are the crew members still the same?” Ohno asks curiously as he looks up at the ship.

“Yup! We have two new members but everyone is still there. They miss you, you know?”

“I guess it'll be okay to say hi to everyone for a bit…” he says unsurely.

Nino grins and links their arm together. “Such a kind prince. We should hurry. I want to see Erika’s reaction when she sees you.”

Ohno groans.

 

A few hours later, Ohno and Nino are walking back to the Kaze with Nino’s belongings all stowed away in two large bags. When Nino had stepped on his ship and announced that he had a surprise, Ohno had been extremely nervous about his old friends’ reactions to his appearance.

When he stepped out from behind Nino, the crew members had all let out cries of shock, joy, and relief. True to Nino’s word, Erika had stomped over to him and yelled at him about not letting them know of his whereabouts. The smaller girl had given him a hug after her scolding, telling him not to leave them in the dark again.

While Ohno had gotten himself acquainted with everyone again, Nino had gone to grab his stuff from his cabin. Ohno learned about his friend’s lives: Erika has gotten engaged, Tomohisa is training to help Nino out on his diplomat trips, Hiroki has a new girlfriend, and Ryo is studying to become a chef while helping out on the cooking of the ship.

When Nino returns, a couple hours have passed and Ohno realizes how much he had missed them. They and the rest of the crew had been his companions for years before he had decided to quit the life of travel.

“You wanted me to come along didn't you?” Ohno asks sulkily as they walk back to the Kaze. Ohno has one of Nino’s bags on his shoulder while Nino is carrying the other one himself. “You wanted to make me feel regretful.”

“Yes and no. But mostly because I know Erika would kill me if I saw you and didn't tell her about it,” Nino replies wryly. “You know how she is.”

Ohno chuckles. Yes he does. Despite her small frame, the woman can throw a solid _punch._ “It was nice seeing everyone again.”

“Hm. They’ve set sail now, so you can see them again when we get back home.”

“When’s the wedding?” Ohno asks.

“Since I'm pretty sure the Nino is a lot faster than the Kaze, they'll be there a month earlier than us. I left a message with Tomohisa-kun to deliver to the king and queen about our arrival. The wedding preparations should be done by then.”

Ohno stops and whips his head at Nino. “They haven't started planning yet?!”

Nino sends him a glare. “They wanted to wait first because they wanted you to be there. Your sister and her fiancé got engaged half a year ago. I was given the task by aunt to find you and bring you home for the wedding.”

“...Oh.” Ohno is speechless. He had no idea that they had been waiting for him all this time. He feels guilty—Mina had put off her wedding that long to wait for him? Sensing Ohno’s mood, Nino pats his cousin on the arm gently.

“Well, don't feel bad about it.” Nino says offhandedly and starts walking again. Ohno scrambles to catch up to him. “Everyone knows how you are, and Princess Mina isn't in a hurry to get married anyway.”

Ohno frowns. He knows that they are perfectly aware of his personality. But it doesn't help ease his guilt of making Mina wait that long. When he had first left home five years ago, Ohno had kept up with the letters. Eventually it died down because it took too long to have them delivered between the galaxies, and Ohno had never been big on writing anyways. He wishes he hadn't stopped. Add in the fact that the Milky Way Galaxy doesn't report much news about the other galaxies, Ohno would not have known unless it had been a huge announcement, and after the ceremony took place.

“Has it been announced to the public yet?” He asks Nino.

Nino shakes his head. “Nope. But by the time we return, the ceremony should be held a week or two after our arrival.”

“I need to get them a present!” Ohno gasps. He grabs Nino’s sleeve. “Kazu-chan, you have to help me figure out what to get them!”

Nino rolls his eyes. “Why don’t you just do a drawing or painting for the couple? I’m pretty sure she would appreciate one of your works.”

“But…” he frowns and scratches the back of his neck, “Is that special enough? What if she doesn’t like it?”

Nino sighs and wraps an arm around Ohno’s waist, directing them to keep walking. “Satoshi, your family loves your art. Your paintings are literally everywhere in the palace,” he deadpans.

“Yeah… but…” Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to give his sister and her fiance something more… fancy, as opposed to a painting?

“Trust me, Mina-san will love to receive a painting from you. Just paint something romantic. Paint the stars or something,” he suggests, pointing up at the sky.

Ohno sighs and grumbles. “Easy for you to say.” But it does get him thinking. He may have to make another trip to the art store.

“Well, let's go. Show me my room, Satoshi!” Nino calls behind his shoulder. “I need to see what kind of treatment I get from these people.”

Ohno hopes that the voyage will go smoothly. _Or else we’ll have way too many fights for the next five months._

 

After five years apart, Ohno realizes that nothing has really changed.

Nino sleeps late, gets up late, and hardly ever eats: he's the same five years ago, and he's the same now. Ohno practically has to drag the man out of his bed for breakfast. And then he has to search all over the ship for him when it's time for lunch. Ohno's grateful Erika has been taking care of him in his absence.

The crew members of Kaze don't know how to act around him. For the most part, Nino is pretty friendly with everyone, only arguing with Jun (“he's especially fun to rile up!”), and he and Aiba get on like moths to a flame. It's both a good and terrifying thing. Aiba tends to get these crazy ideas that Jun can either stop him from initiating or goes along with it. But Nino… Nino encourages it most of the time. This drives Jun off the wall, especially when some of the “experiments” can get a little messy.

Sho and Nino don't get along at all— well no, that's not true. Ohno can say that they _barely_ tolerate each other. Nino is being difficult to Sho on purpose, while Sho is annoyed that Nino is stealing all his free time with his lover. He also doesn't appreciate the jokes Nino likes to crack sometimes, thinking it inappropriate in a public setting. Sometimes Ohno has a hard time reconciling his cousin’s professional diplomat self with his normal self.

And Nino’s groping is relentless. It’s gotten more frequent now that they’ve set sail Ohno hardly thinks about it, having long been resigned to Nino’s touches. Unfortunately, not everyone sees it the same way. He has already seen Jun shoot Nino death glares after touching his butt for the third time during dinner. Sho isn't amused either.

“Why does he keep touching you?!” Sho whines on the third night of their departure. They've just returned from dinner and the couple has decided to retire early for the night. Nino had been prepared to tag along but Ohno just shook his head at him. Sho hadn't seemed too cheerful today, and Ohno needs to make sure nothing escalates. Sho throws himself on their bed face down in his pillow. “I know you said there's nothing going on between you two, but why does he keep touching you? I don't understand.”

Ohno hangs his jacket over the chair and walks over to the bed. He takes a seat at the head of the bed and pokes Sho in the side, making the man flinch. “Don't think too much of it, Sho-kun. Kazunari is just affectionate.”

Sho lifts his head from the pillow and scowls at him. “Can't he show his affections in a more normal manner?!”

Ohno sighs and slips onto the bed next to Sho. Sho immediately lifts his arm and curls it around Ohno’s back. Ohno rests his forehead against his lover’s shoulder, breathing in Sho’s scent.

“Just bear with it for the new few months,” he murmurs and wraps a leg around the man’s waist. “It's nothing serious.”

Sho grumbles. “I know, but it just… I guess I'm just jealous.”

Ohno snaps his head up in bewilderment. “Why?”

“I wish I had the courage to touch you like he does in public.”

“And how would you touch me?”

Sho flushed red and pouts. “Do you have to make it sound like that?”

Ohno chuckles and buries his face in Sho’s shoulder. “You're the one that said it.”

Sho huffs in exasperation but presses a kiss to Ohno’s forehead.

“Don't think of it too much, Sho-kun. We've known each other for most of our lives. We're just really good friends,” Ohno says, breaking the silence that has fallen between them. “He's my best friend.”

Sho sighs and tightens his hold around Ohno. “I know, but I can't help it…” he says with a pout. Ohno chuckles and pats Sho on his behind.

“I know what I can help you with,” Ohno says huskily and licks at Sho’s collarbones. Sho groans and flips Ohno on top of him.

“Show me.”

 

The groping is minor, and Ohno is glad he has managed to straighten it out with Sho. No, the real issue is with Jun. Jun has been annoyed by Nino the first day they set sail, and had stormed off to the captain’s deck after a loud argument with the smaller man about doing “his fair share of work” on board.

Nino isn’t really a difficult person, contrary to popular belief. But he definitely isn’t used to the physical labours of the being on the ship. It’s why he has never really done much of the duties when they had travelled together. Nino may be good at words, twisting and manipulating them to get what he wants, but physical labour… he’s pretty much useless.

Ohno sighs as Aiba runs after to placate Jun. He frowns at Nino and crosses his arms. “You shouldn’t provoke him. And you do need to contribute to this ship somehow, Kazunari,” he says with a tired expression.

Nino shrugs. “I know, I’m willing to do that. But I’m not doing anything physical like heavy lifting. My back already hurts enough as it is,” he responds with a grimace. Ohno sends him a concerned look.

“Your back is still bothering you?”

Nino waves a hand between them. “Yeah, but don’t worry about it. It’s not as bad as before,” he says in an offhanded manner.

Ohno quirks an eyebrow at his cousin but doesn’t press the subject further.

Eventually, Ohno had to step in and tell his friends about Nino’s back problem.

“It's not that he doesn't want to help, but his back has been giving him problems for a long time,” Ohno says with a frown.

Jun sighs and leans back against his chair. “Alright, but I can't not let him do nothing, Satoshi-kun. I know he's your friend but it's not fair if he doesn't have to do anything.”

Ohno nods. “I understand that. Maybe he can help with the cleaning? He complains, but he does a very good job.”

“The more the merrier in our cleaning staff, eh?” Aiba says cheerfully from his spot beside Jun. “We can put him there, Jun-chan.”

Jun scowls at his co-captain. “Don't call me that. And I guess we could… we have a lot of staff for the cleaning duties though.”

“I can take over some of it,” Ohno offers. “I was also planning on asking you guys if you need help with your finances. Kazunari is really good at that.”

Jun grimaces. “I’ll think about it,” he gruffs. Aiba laughs and pats Jun on the shoulder, ignoring the man’s look of exasperation.

“How did you and Kazu-kun meet anyway? He told me to ask you,” Aiba says in curiosity.

“We met in calligraphy class,” he lies, “we've been friends since.”

“Is he a royal family member?” Jun asks. Ohno shakes his head.

“No, I attended a public calligraphy class when I was younger.”

“Ehh…”

“And you're sure he's not making moves on you?” Jun asks with narrowed eyes. “I don't like how he acts in front of you and Sho-kun.”

“What do you mean?”

“I feel like he's trying to get in between you two. I don't trust him, Satoshi-kun.”

“Maybe he's just friendly!” Aiba says to Jun. Jun shakes his head.

“By constantly going in between these two?”

Ohno laughs and shakes his head. “Don't worry, Jun-kun. There's nothing between Kazu and I. We’re just really good friends.”

Jun sighs and drums his fingers on top of the desk. “Well, I hope so.”

Ohno smiles. “Don't worry. Sho-kun and I are still doing very well.”

“I'm so happy for you!” Aiba exclaims and runs over to Ohno to grab his friend’s hands between his own. “How long has it been now? Four? Five months?”

“Close to that, yeah.”

“Jun and I were going out of our minds watching you two.”

Jun smirks. “Two fools who like each other but have no idea. I honestly thought this was how princes courted each other.”

Ohno sticks his tongue out at him. “I wasn't sure if he liked me back, or if he could feel the same for a man, okay?”

“It's understandable,” Aiba comments and moves to wrap an arm around Ohno’s shoulders. Ohno leans against the strong frame of his friend. “Sho-chan is from the Milky Way Galaxy.”

“That didn't stop you from trying to bathe with me at the public bathhouse,” Jun says with a glare.

“It's a bath house. No one would've thought much of it!” Aiba exclaims. Ohno chuckles.

Jun rubs his temples in exasperation. “Masaki, they don't do things like that there.” He looks pained. “You’re lucky we didn’t get reported for indecent behaviour.”

“Nonsense! We could just say we’re cousins! And that we’re from another galaxy!”

Jun shakes his head. “We would have a hard time proving that. You know how the star guardians are like in the Milky Way.” He turns to Ohno. “I’m surprised you managed to stay there for so long. Wasn’t it hard for you?” _Wasn’t it hard for you to avoid catching attention?_ is what Ohno knows Jun is implying. It’s no secret that Ohno prefers the company of men after all between the three of them.

Ohno shrugs. “I just never thought of it much. I didn’t want to draw attention.”

“True, true. Well, okay. I’ll see what I can assign your friend to.” Jun rubs his temples. “Let’s hope he does it.”

Ohno chuckles. “I’ll talk to him. Don’t worry about it, Jun-kun.”

Jun sends him a look of resignation. “Thanks.”

 

The first two months of their journey goes without a hitch. Not that Ohno had expected it to be terrible, but he had expected it to be a little… difficult. While Nino hung out almost everyday with Ohno during their shore leave, and got along with mostly everyone, living on a ship with his cousin is different than having him on the ship with them for a few hours of the day.

Nino mainly sticks to his cabin when he isn’t hanging around with Ohno. This saddens Ohno a little bit because he wishes his cousin could make some friends. Nino has always been a bit of a loner, preferring to stick to people he’s close with and keeping strangers at an arm's length. Ohno had hoped that Nino could make some friends while he’s on the voyage with them.

 _He seemed pretty friendly with Masaki-kun, and he talks to Toma-kun whenever he sees him._ Ohno frowns as he looks down at the sketch he’s working on. _And he actually seems to like Jun-kun, even if he does actively try to annoy him._ Ohno wonders what he should do. While Ohno understands that Nino is an adult fully capable of making his own decisions and doing what he wants, Ohno knows that sometimes Nino tries to avoid getting close to people in fear of being hurt. Nino has very few close friends, and Ohno believes that the younger man can make some very long-lasting relationships with some of the people on the ship. That, and it just sets him at ease to know that Nino has people he can talk to when Ohno isn’t around.

Ohno looks at Sho beside him. The former prince has fallen asleep beside him, his book still opened in his hand. He wishes Nino and Sho could also become friends too—he thinks the two of them would complement each other very well. Sho could help Nino calm down when the man gets a bit too much, and Nino could help Sho loosen up when he gets too serious. And both of them are very good with words—something Ohno has always had trouble with.

Ohno wonders if he should consult Sho about this, despite the difficult relationship between the two. Sho may be able to help him in getting Nino to open up to the others. And now that there are three months left into his voyage, Ohno wants Nino to at least leave having a friend or two. _I’ll figure out what I can do tomorrow._ Ohno settles back against the railing he’s leaning against and looks up at the stars.

 

Unfortunately, Ohno doesn’t manage to do anything about it for the next two months after. He has tried to speak to Nino about letting people in and spending time with the others (Aiba and Toma, or even Jun), but the man has always brushed off his concerns, saying that there was no point. “We’re not going to see each other after this, I don’t have to,” had been his answer.

Ohno had wanted to yell at Nino that day for being a fool but he managed to rein his anger and disappointment in. There’s no use in trying to change Nino’s mind once he’s made his decision. And Ohno thought that he’s the stubborn one of the family.

Since Nino has no intentions on making any friends as Ohno had wished, Ohno tries to spend more time with his cousin so that the younger man won’t get lonely. He spends most of his time during the day with Nino, and spends his nights with Sho. Sometimes Nino asks him to stay the night and Ohno does. Ohno knows Sho is a little frustrated, but all Ohno can do without revealing his secret is to reassure Sho time and time again that there’s nothing going on between Nino and him.

Ohno should’ve known that not everyone saw it that way.

Ohno is heading towards Nino’s room after grabbing his belongings from his shared room with Sho when he sees Aiba running down the hallway with a panicked expression on his face. When Aiba sees him, the other man waves his arms in the air.

“Satoshi-kun! Come quick! Quick!” Aiba calls as he runs over to him in panic. Ohno looks up at his friend worriedly.

“What is it, Masaki-chan? Did something bad happen?”

Aiba quickly looks around them before leaning down to whisper in his ear. “It’s Jun! Kazu-kun is in Jun’s office and they’re fighting!”

“What?!” Ohno exclaims in surprise. Aiba shakes his head and grabs the man’s arm.

“No time to explain! Hurry! We gotta be careful though, no one knows that they’re fighting in the captain’s quarters!”

When Ohno and Aiba arrive in front of the captain’s cabin, Ohno can already hear muffled Nino’s voice thundering from behind the door. Ohno and Aiba share a worried glance before Aiba pushes the door open and the both of them rush inside.

“I don’t see how it’s any of your business!” Nino hollers at the other captain of the ship. “Satoshi doesn’t care if I touch his butt!”

Ohno gapes at that. They were talking about that?! Aiba makes a pained noise beside him as he quickly shuts the door behind them. The other two don’t even seem to notice their presence, or if they have, don’t see to care that the man that they’re talking about is in the room with them.

“It’s a problem because it’s highly inappropriate!” Jun hollers back and slams his hands on his desk angrily. He shoots Nino the darkest glare Ohno has ever seen on him. “I had tolerated it because Satoshi-kun has told me not to mind it, but I can’t help but wonder if he’s only saying that because he’s afraid to tell you to stop.”

Nino lets out a loud noise of anger and frustration. Stomping up to Jun, he slams his desk like Jun had done earlier and glares at the taller man. “How dare you!” Nino shrieks, getting up in Jun’s face. “Are you accusing me of something?! Satoshi and I are friends! I have always been this way to him and he doesn’t care! I can’t believe I have to explain the dynamics of our relationship to some stuck-up captain!”

“Excuse me?!” Jun thunders and grabs the front of Nino’s shirt.

Aiba gasps beside him and takes a step forward while Ohno just sighs tiredly.

“Yeah, you heard me!’ Nino hisses, “You’re nothing but a stuck-up captain who just orders people around all day!”

“And what about you?!” Jun hisses back, “I let you on my ship because Satoshi-kun asked me to let you join us for this wedding ceremony and you have done nothing to contribute to the runnings of this ship. You don’t do any cleaning or any physical work! All you do is— ”

“Stop, please,” Ohno interrupts quietly with a stern tone. The two of them immediately fall silent and turn towards him in surprise. “Jun-kun please let go of Kazunari. Kazunari, step away from the desk please.”

There's a slight pause before Jun slowly releases his grip from Nino’s shirt and Nino takes a few steps back from the desk. Ohno rubs his temples, feeling a headache forming.

“Can someone explain to me what's going on here?” he asks tiredly as he looked back and forth at them.

Nino marches up to him points at Jun angrily. “This _friend,_ ” Nino spats the word, “of yours is accusing me of making unwanted advances at you when I have told him time and time again that it's nothing like that.” His cousin sends him a look of disbelief. “He thinks I'm sexually assaulting you!”

“As a captain, I have to make sure my crew feels safe and comfortable on board!” Jun snaps back and glares at Nino.

“I don’t see anyone uncomfortable around here!” Nino yells at him angrily and crosses his arms. “Whatever. I don’t need to deal with this shit.” He storms out of the room, shutting the door behind him with a slam.

Ohno sighs and rubs his palm over his face. _I should’ve spoken up,_ he thinks to himself as he turns to look at Jun, who’s still shaking with anger. Aiba opens his mouth to say something but closes it immediately when he senses Jun’s mood.

Jun snaps his gaze to Ohno and stomps right up to him. It takes all his willpower to not take a step back at the fierceness in his friend’s face.

“Satoshi-kun, you need to tell me. Is he harassing you?”

Ohno sighs and shakes his head. “No, Jun-kun, I told you before… Kazu doesn't mean anything by it.”

“Tell me the truth.”

Ohno feels a bubble of frustration build up inside of him. He knows his friend means well, but it’s starting to get annoying. He shakes his head. “Jun-kun, I told you before, it's fine. Kazunari and I are best friends.”

“Best friends don't—”

“Jun-kun,” Ohno cuts in again, agitated. “I told you, I don’t mind. It's not like that.”

Aiba takes this as his cue to interrupt. “Hey, Jun, there are some things I need to show you. I forgot.” He begins to push his co-captain out of the room, completely ignoring Jun’s loud shouts of protests. When they pass him, Aiba sends Ohno a worried look before manhandling Jun out the doorway.

Ohno watches them go before sighing. He rubs his temples, trying to relieve himself of the upcoming headache he knows he’s going to have. He has to go find Nino.

When he reaches his cousin’s door, Ohno places his ear against it, wondering if he can hear what's going on behind there. It's completely quiet. “Kazu… Kazu, are you there?” Ohno asks quietly as he knocks on his cousin’s door lightly. He's greeted by silence for a few seconds before he hears movement from behind the door. A few seconds later, the door opens. Nino’s standing at the doorway, his face tense. “Are you okay?” Ohno asks worriedly, looking at his cousin up and down.

“Are you sure you want to be here? Your captain might think I’m going to sexually harass you in my room,” Nino spats angrily. Ohno sends him a pointed look and pushes his way inside and shuts the door behind him. Nino glares at him but goes to sit on the bed.

“You know very well that I have never cared if you touched me like that, and you know that I am always on your side,” Ohno says sternly and goes to sit next to him. “I’m sorry that happened,” he apologizes quietly and reaches out to place a hand on Nino’s shoulder.

Nino shakes his head. “It's not your fault. Don't be.”

Ohno wraps an arm around his shoulder, pushing the man to lean against him. “Are you okay?” he asks quietly. Nino shrugs.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just… mad,” he grumbles and crosses his arms across his chest. “The nerve of that man!”

“Jun-kun means well… but he can be quite intense,” Ohno admits honestly. Nino sighs and rests his head against Ohno’s shoulder.

“I know, I get it, but still… he’s a fucking asshole, excuse my language.”

Ohno pauses and pulls back to stare at his cousin. Nino stares back. Then they both burst into laughter. Ohno is clutching his stomach as he rolls on the bed. Nino is giggling into his palms. When they both settle down, they’re lying in Nino’s bed, facing each other. It’s reminiscent of their childhood. Ohno would always do this for Nino as children, sleeping in the same bed as him for comfort—his cousin being spooked very easily as a kid.

“Thanks, Satoshi,” Nino whispers.

Ohno reaches up to take Nino’s hand in his. “Get some sleep,” he says. He stays with him until morning.

The next morning, Ohno wakes up in a room that’s not his. He almost forgets, but then Ohno realizes he’s in Nino’s room. Nino is still asleep beside him, and Ohno realizes he can see signs of age on his face being this close to him. Nino has always looked years younger, but even Nino can't escape the clutches of age. Still, he looks miles younger than Ohno can ever look at their age.

He watches Nino sleep for a few more minutes before he falls back to sleep himself, his hand still clutching onto Nino’s.

When they get up a couple hours later, Nino sticks to Ohno the entire time. Jun seems to have calmed down and has taken to ignoring Nino now. Ohno frowns as he watches Jun walk past them, only acknowledging him with a nod. Nino ignores Jun too, looking straight ahead when they walk past each other.

Sho seems to have figured something has happened too, sending glances at Nino and Jun whenever he thinks they’re not looking. Aiba sends Ohno a wry smile and mouths at him, _he’ll get over it soon._ Ohno hopes so; he doesn’t like his friends fighting, and they have gotten off on the wrong foot.

Ohno hopes they can at least be civil to each other for the rest of the voyage, even if they may hate each other’s guts. He watches worriedly as Nino and Jun glare at each other from across the lunchroom. He sighs and turns back to his food. He can only hope the rest of the voyage will be smooth-sailing.

 

“Nervous?”

Ohno snaps out of his daze to look at Nino. After three months, they’ve finally arrived in the Whirlpool Galaxy. Ohno can see the palace of Canes Venatici in the distance as they near the harbour. The younger man is looking at him worriedly. Ohno shakes his head, his lips curling downwards in a frown.

“Not really.” It’s the truth. Ohno isn’t exactly nervous about going back home… but he isn’t terribly excited either. He misses his parents and his family, but not the duties that are expected of him. He's grateful that he isn't in line for the crown (unless Mina steps down), but he's still expected to act like a proper prince.

He can see the palace in the distance. His home he hasn't seen in the past several years. It still stands tall,  
powerful, and he can see the blanket of stars around it.

“Pretty, eh?” Nino asks, leaning against the railing. “Everyone's going to be so excited to see you again.”

Ohno smiles. “I am too. It's been a while.”

Nino snorts. “No really?” he says sarcastically, “you've been gone for five years, Satoshi.”

“Hmmm…”

“Well, cheer up!” Nino places a hand on his shoulder. “It’s nice to be home after a while.”

Ohno nods slowly. “Yeah…”

When they land, Nino’s already packed and ready to go. Ohno doesn’t know what he should do: should he follow Nino, or should he stay behind with his friends? Either way, he has to get to the palace soon or else his sister will send star guards to find him. He’s already feeling tired from the thought of that.

“Well, thanks for the journey!” Nino says to everyone as he slings his pack over his shoulder. Aiba runs over to him and tackles him for a hug.

“Kazu!!! You’re leaving us already?!” Aiba cries out. Nino is flailing as he tries to push away from the teary-eyed man. “Why so soon?!”

“Agh! Masaki! You’re choking me!” Nino shouts. Aiba lets go sheepishly. “Hmph.” He begins brushing off the imaginary dust on his clothes. “And this isn’t goodbye, you idiot. I’ll see you later at the wedding.”

“Will we able to get in?” Aiba asks worriedly. Nino nods.

“Yes, just mention my name and you’ll be able to get in. Anyways, I’ll see you all later, alright?” He’s smiling at Aiba before staring straight at Ohno. Ohno nods. He can’t even run away now if he wanted to.

When Nino takes his leave, Ohno goes back to sit beside Sho, who’s staring out at the palace. “Sorry for making you travel again. I know you were excited for Andromeda,” he says.

Sho shakes his head and sends him a bright smile, making Ohno’s heart skip a beat. “No, not at all! This is fun! I’ve never been here before…” Sho turns back to the palace. “It’s beautiful,” he remarks. Ohno scoots closer and rests his head against Sho’s shoulders, intertwining their fingers together. “I’m excited for this wedding. I have never met any of the Ohno royals before.”

It takes all of Ohno’s willpower not to flinch. He just lets out a ‘hmmm’ as they both look at the palace in the distance. What is he going to do if Sho reacts badly to his revelation?

Later on in the day, the crew sign in at an inn to stay. Ohno manages to avoid being discovered by the receptionist by wrapping a scarf around his face. When Sho asks if he’s feeling well, Ohno says he feels his allergies act up (a total lie). It’s not totally farfetched—Canes Venatici is abundant in flora and fauna, due to its rainy season and warm weather.

Sho sighs in relief when he throws his bag on the floor and flops down on the bed. Ohno looks at him amusement and sets his own bag down on the floor in a much more gentler fashion and joins his lover on the bed. Aiba and Jun have decided to have two people per room. Ohno feels bad that everyone has to contribute to the fee. He plans to sneak to the owner’s room later tonight to get a refund and pay for it himself. It’s not their fault they have to go here because of a family wedding.

“I forgot how good it feels to be on land after being in the sky for five months,” Sho mumbles into the sheets. Ohno chuckles and lightly brushes a hand down Sho’s spine.

“It does, doesn’t it?”

Sho turns his face to look blearily up at him. “When’s dinner again?”

“In a couple of hours,” he replies, wanting to kiss him for being so cute. So he does. Ohno leans down and gives him a peck on the lips. Just as he’s about to pull away, Sho wraps an arm around his neck and pulls him back down.

They barely make it to dinner on time.

 

That evening, after everyone’s gone to bed, Ohno makes his escape. Before he heads for the palace, he makes a quick trip to the owner’s office. After swearing the man to secrecy, he takes the money back from him and tells him to charge it to the Ohno household, quickly signing his name on the document as proof that the royal family will cover the expenses. Ohno pockets the money and plans to sneak in Jun’s and Aiba’s room tomorrow afternoon to return the money.

He quickly makes his way to the palace. He knows that Nino’s probably told them by now that he’s back in the city, and they’re probably all waiting anxiously for his return. When he makes his way up to the gates, the two star guards look down at him sternly.

“What business do you have here, sir?” One of them asks. They look friendly enough, but they aren’t wishy-washy either.

“I would like to gain entrance to the palace, please,” Ohno says, looking around to see if there are others nearby. He doesn’t want to attract attention.

“Please state the reason of your visit,” the other guard says.

Ohno grimaces but he reaches up to push down the scarf. The two guards look at him in surprise.

“Prince—”

“Shh!” Ohno hisses, placing a finger on his lips. “Please, I don’t want to cause a commotion.”

They nod and open the gates. Ohno bows at them, which they immediately return with a much lower bow than his.

“Thanks,” he says, a little overwhelmed at being given such respect again after a long time.

“Welcome back, Prince Satoshi.”

When Ohno is in the safety of the palace, he quickly removes the scarf around his head and makes his way for Nino’s quarters. It’s located in the right wing of the palace where most of their foreign dignitaries stay. He nods to passing servants who look at him in surprise before he’s finally standing in front of Nino’s room. He knocks twice before hearing a, _come in!_ and opens the door.

“Well, well, look who’s here.” Nino’s sitting on his bed with a bunch of papers around him. He grins up at Ohno as he makes his way over and falls down on his cousin’s bed. “I hope your clothes are clean.”

“I changed before I came,” he mumbles in reply, wrapping both arms around a pillow. “Ah, it feels so weird to be home again.”

Nino’s pokes him with his toe. “That’s what you get for being away for five years. Have you eaten?”

“Yeah.”

“Come on, Satoshi. Let’s sleep, you look like you’re going to fall on your feet.”

“Can’t stay,” Ohno says, pushing himself up to sit. “Have to go back. The others don’t know I’m gone.”

“You still haven’t told him?” Nino asks in annoyance. “You can’t keep him in the dark forever.”

Ohno sighs and runs his hand through his hair. It’s gotten quite long lately. “Yeah, I know. I’ll tell him… tomorrow.”

Nino gives him a pointed look. “I sure hope you do. The wedding’s in two days.”

Ohno looks at him in surprise. “That fast?”

“Why wait?” Nino asks with a shrug. “Anyways, if you’re not staying here tonight, then come back early tomorrow morning. I told them your measurements are basically the same from five years ago.”

“Was that the reason why you kept groping me?” Ohno grumbles, but gets up anyway. Nino smirks.

“Maybe.”

The next morning, Ohno announces to his friends that he’s going to go find Nino. Sho offers to go with him, but Ohno shakes his head and tells him to go enjoy the city with the rest of the crew. Sho frowns.

“Why?” he asks. Ohno pulls Sho in for a hug.

“I need to ask Kazunari something. I’ll be back soon, okay? Enjoy Canes Venatici with Masaki and Jun-kun.”

Sho pouts but relents a little when Ohno gives him a soft kiss. “Fine,” Sho says grumpily.

“I’ll see you soon.”

His kisses with Sho never tasted sweeter.

 

It’s a bit of a commotion when Ohno arrives to the palace that morning. His mother is sobbing into his shirt while his sister is yelling at him for being away from home for so long. Ohno sighs at how noisy everyone is, but a little part of him is happy that nothing has changed. His father gives him a hug when he steps up to him.

Ohno knows that everything will be okay.

The rest of the day goes in a blur. He’s fitted in three different outfits before they finally settle on a blue and silver one. Then they whisk him off to get his haircut. Ohno mourns the loss of his long hair a little, but his new haircut makes him look much younger. Nino teases that he’s gained back ten years with it. Ohno rolls his eyes and shoves the wedding gift he made for his sister in Nino’s hand, telling him to keep it safe until the wedding day. He didn’t paint this time, instead, opting for something more practical. He hopes his sister and husband likes wearing bracelets.

Ohno goes back to his old room. Pushing the door open, he’s greeted by whites and soft blues. Everything is still in the same place as it was since he left. Ohno wonders if he’ll ever get the chance to take Sho here to see. His room has one of the best views in the entire palace. It doesn’t overlook the city, but rather the galaxy and the stars surrounding the city. Ohno can see the path of stars in the distance from his window.

He takes a deep breath as he breathes in the familiar smells of his home, and closes his eyes. He hopes that everything will go well tomorrow, and that there will be no surprises.

The next day, one day before the wedding, Ohno and Sho spend all day in their room, just basking in each other’s presence and making love. Ohno doesn’t know why, but it feels like tomorrow will be his last day with Sho. He moans as Sho pushes inside him swiftly in one go, and wraps his legs around his lover’s waist, pulling him in even closer.

When they’re lying wrapped around each other later that evening, Ohno holds onto him extra tight in his arms.

 

On the day of the wedding, Ohno is up bright and early, already packing his bags. Sho wakes up to the sound of him changing his clothes.

“Where are you going?” Sho asks, pushing himself up against the pillow and looks at Ohno in confusion. Ohno smiles and walks over to Sho, giving him a kiss on the forehead.

“I have to go to the palace. I’m helping Nino with the royal wedding.” It’s technically not a lie.

“What? Why?” Sho’s more awake now, and he’s frowning at him. “Why do you have to help with the wedding?”

Ohno thinks fast. “Kazunari has volunteered to help the royal family with the wedding. I didn’t know he signed me up until a couple of days ago.”

Sho sighs and wraps his arms around him for a hug. Ohno returns it wholeheartedly. “Will I see you at the wedding?” he mumbles into Ohno’s shoulder. Ohno nods.

“Yes, you won’t miss me.” Another truth. Ohno will be standing on the other side of the crowd with his family during the ceremony.

“Good.” Sho sighs and pulls back to snuggle under the covers again. “I’ll see you soon then.”

Ohno smiles. “I’ll see you soon, Sho.”

 

When Ohno arrives at the palace, it is bustling with activity. He quickly runs to the royal quarters where the royal tailors quickly whisk him away to his dressing room to get ready. When the servants are just about done putting the finishing touches on his outfit, Nino wanders in the room, dressed in his own formal robes. They’re a light pastel yellow with silver markings.

“You clean up well,” Nino remarks as Ohno thanks the female servant for tying the bow for him in the back. She smiles back at him and steps away to let Nino step up beside him. Nino wraps an arm around his shoulders. Ohno looks at them in the mirror. They both look really handsome; Nino looks years younger with his new hairdo, almost like his twenty years old self again. “Ready?” Nino bumps his shoulder against his.

“You make it sound like I’m the one getting married,” Ohno says in amusement. Nino smirks.

“I can see wedding bells in the near future for you.”

Ohno rolls his eyes. Sho getting married so soon after leaving? Yeah right.

“Well, come on, Ohno Satoshi. We need to get ready. Your friends are coming, right?”

Ohno smiles and follows Nino as they make their way out the room to the hall where the wedding ceremony is taking place. They can already hear the murmurs of the guests from here.

“Yeah, I gave Jun and Aiba the invitation this morning before I left.”

“Only the three of them?” Nino asks. Ohno nods.

“Yeah, Jun and Aiba thought that maybe it was better to let the guys explore the city on their own instead of being trapped into going to the wedding ceremony.”

“Heeeeh...”

“I… I haven't told Sho-kun yet either…” Ohno mumbles. Nino snaps his gaze at him and frowns.

“Satoshi! Not yet? Why is it so hard for you?” he asks in exasperation. Ohno shrugs.

“I never got around to it. Ah, well. He’s going to know soon…”

Nino sighs and rubs his forehead with his hand. “Honestly.”

“Anyway, let’s move faster. Mina will have our heads if we’re late.”

 

The wedding ceremony is beautiful. Ohno feels like crying when the couple exchanges vows, and then rings before sealing the deal with the kiss. He has never really thought of marriage, but seeing his sister up there in her beautiful wedding gown, her face bright with happiness… Ohno wonders.

Before the ceremony has started, Ohno had searched the crowd for his friends. To his surprise, they had managed to grab front row seats. Sho’s expression of shock when he had seen Ohno sit in the area reserved for the family had been interesting. Ohno had been aware that Sho’s gaze was on him for most of the ceremony.

When it’s time to mingle with the guests, Ohno quickly gets up to search for Sho. He sees Nino heading towards Jun and Aiba, and he wonders when the three of them had gotten to be so close. Doesn’t Jun and Nino hate each other? He’s so confused by this that he doesn’t notice someone calling him.

“—toshi!”

Ohno jumps when he feels a hand on his shoulder. He quickly turns around and sees Sho, looking at him in concern.

“Ah… Sho-kun,” Ohno says. He looks around and sees that everyone else is preoccupied with the bride and groom. Quickly taking advantage of this distraction, he grabs Sho’s hand and pulls him out of the hall. They don’t let go until they reach a corridor where Ohno knows will give them some semblance of privacy.

“Sato—no. I mean, Prince Sato—”

“Please,” Ohno cuts in with a shake of his head. “I’m just Satoshi. Ohno Satoshi. Don’t address me as prince.” Sho looks a little taken back at that and purses his lips. Ohno looks down on the floor, picking at his robes. “I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I wasn't sure how you would react. I didn't want to make it awkward between us.” He doesn’t want to meet Sho’s eyes, doesn't want to see the anger or disappointment in them.

Suddenly, he feels fingers on his chin, tilting his face up. Ohno looks at Sho’s face, his expression one of amusement and _fondness?_

“Silly,” Sho says, wrapping his arms around him, pulling him in for a hug. “I admit, I'm a little taken back, but I had my suspicions.” Ohno pulls back, his arms still around Sho’s.

“What do you mean?” he asks, puzzled. He's sure he had done a good job in covering up his status.

Sho chuckles. “Well, when we first met, you bowed to me at the same level.” Ohno flushes at that, suddenly realizing his mistake. “I thought that was a little weird, but I was too preoccupied with other things to notice. Then when Nino-san appeared, you guys did a lot of whispering. And then when we came to Canes Venatici, you kept going out with a scarf around your face, claiming it was allergies. But I have never seen you have problems in the other constellations.”

Ohno chuckles sheepishly. “Eh…”

Sho grins at him and pokes him in the side. “And it's just the way you carry yourself and speak sometimes. I didn't assume you may have been a royal member, much less a prince, but I assumed you might have been part of the aristocracy at least.”

“And… and you're okay with that?” Ohno asks worriedly. Sho shakes his head and pulls Ohno in for another hug. Ohno tightens his hold against him in response.

“Yeah. It'll take awhile to get used to, but at least we have something we can both talk about now, even if I dropped my former title.”

Ohno frowns at him. “You're still a prince at heart. Your title may be gone, but you grew up a prince and lived your life as one. I will always see you as Prince Sho from the Milky Way Galaxy.”

Sho scowls. “I don't want the title!” he whines childishly. Ohno laughs and is pulls him in for a quick kiss but Sho immediately turns away. “We’re in the middle of the corridor!” he hisses, his face flushed with embarrassment as he looks around for any signs of people.

Ohno huffs at him in amusement but pulls away to straighten his robes. “No one is going to come this way. Rest assured, Sho-kun. Come on, let’s go back to the celebrations. Mina will have my head if I don’t.” Ohno feels his heart flutter when Sho smiles in return.

When they return to the main hall, Ohno and Sho immediately head for the food buffet. Ohno watches in amazement as Sho piles food on his plate at rapid speed.

They find an empty table, far away from most of the guests. Ohno finds it a little surprising no one has recognized Sho yet. Sho seems relieved at that.

“Even if they did,” Ohno says, “they wouldn't say anything because I’m with you.” He's seen his parents and Mina send curious glances at him a few times over the course of the night. Nino seems to have disappeared from the party altogether with Aiba and Jun.

“I guess that's true, but now my family will know…” Sho groans but continues to shove food in his mouth, his cheeks puffing up cutely.

“Don't worry, we can escape somewhere else with Jun-kun and Masaki-kun after all this is over.”

Sho smiles at him. “I like the sound of that.”

They spend the rest of the celebrations eating and talking. Ohno even manages to get Sho to dance once with him, even if it’s a group dance and not a slow dance. One day, Ohno thinks happily. Finally, when the guests start to leave, Ohno asks if Sho wants to come to his room for some quiet and privacy. He also wants to show Sho the view from his bedroom; he thinks his lover will love it very much.

Just as they’re walking down the hallway to the royal chambers, a voice calls them from behind.

“Sho? Sho, is that you?”

At the sound of his name, Sho freezes beside him. Ohno looks behind them to see a handsome young man running over to them. Sho lets out a quiet curse before turning around to face him.

“Sho!” the man exclaims in surprise again, finally nearing them. “So this is where you've been hiding!”

“Ah… Takky. What are you doing here?” Sho asks, and Ohno can hear the slight panic in his tone, even if his face is showing a calm expression.

“Attending the wedding of course! I came as a representative of the Sakurai family. Ah, Prince Satoshi,” Takky says, giving him a bow that Ohno returns. “Congratulations on your sister’s wedding. Many happy blessings for the couple.”

Ohno smiles. “Thank you.”

Takky turns back to Sho. “Your parents have been looking all over for you! You need to go home! What are you doing here anyway?”

“I—”

“Seriously, your parents have been looking all over for you! Do you have no sense of responsibility? You're the eldest son!” Takky scolds, “You can't just leave like that. Everyone was worried about you! And you were there the whole time? What are you doing here anyway?”

“I—” Sho seems to be at loss of what to say. Ohno doesn’t know if he should interfere. Takky looks at Ohno before bowing.

“My apologies, Prince Satoshi. If our Prince Sho has been bothering you—”

“No, he hasn’t,” Ohno says quietly, anger colouring his tone. Sho looks at him in surprise. “I appreciate his company.”

Takky looks taken back at the tone, but immediately puts on a neutral expression. “I am glad you enjoy his company, Prince Satoshi. However, he needs to go—”

Without thinking, Ohno grabs Sho’s hand and intertwines their fingers. He can feel Sho stiffen beside him and Ohno carries on, hoping that Sho will accept what he’s going to say next. He can tell Sho is awfully uncomfortable at seeing one of his family members here. Ohno can tell him to leave, but he can’t prevent him from taking Sho with him. This is the only way Ohno knows that Takky will leave them alone. “He’s with me,” Ohno says quietly, “and I don’t think he wants to go with you either.”

Takky gapes at them. He looks at them back and forth and down at their hands. Sho tenses and tries to pull his hand away from Ohno.

“What are you talking about?” Sho asks, his voice showing a hint of panic. He laughs nervously and pulls his hand away, shaking his head at his cousin. “He’s such a jokester, isn’t that right, Takky-kun?” Takky seems to have gotten over the shock and lets out a laugh of his own.

“Right, right! There’s no way our Prince would have affections for a man, never mind you, Prince Satoshi. You’re very funny. I am aware that things are different here, but Prince Sho is from the Milky Way Galaxy,” Takky says with a grin. He turns back to Sho. “Sho-kun, we are departing tomorrow. My ship is at the docks, I’ll be waiting for you.” He gives his cousin a pat on the shoulder, a bow to Ohno, and walks past them.

Once Takky turns around the corner, Sho turns to him and hisses, “Why did you say that?!” Ohno is taken back at the anger in Sho’s tone.

“What do you mean?”

Sho sighs in frustration and shakes his head. “You had no right to say that.”

“But isn’t it the truth?” Ohno asks in confusion. “Why does it matter now that you’re gone?”

“That may be, but it was still not your place to say that! He’s going to suspect now!” Ohno is troubled at how upset Sho looks, but he still doesn’t understand. Hasn’t Sho been saying he wants to be free of his family’s control over him? To be able to be himself? Wouldn’t this be the first step?

“Sho-kun,” Ohno says slowly, trying to get Sho’s full attention. Sho turns to him in frustration.

“Yes?” he grunts.

Ohno frowns. “Sho-kun, we will tell my parents eventually that we are in a relationship, right?” He has to tread carefully. They’ve never exactly spoken about it, but Ohno knows that it’s a subject they will have to bring up, sooner or later.

Sho tenses. “How soon is that?”

“I would like it to be soon. I think they would like that. And I want them to know.”

Sho looks uncomfortable at that, and Ohno’s stomach drops. Has Sho…

“Do we have to tell them?” Sho asks quietly, avoiding his gaze.

“Yes,” Ohno says, still frowning. “I can’t keep these things a secret, Sho-kun. I don’t want to hide. I want to show and tell everyone who I want by my side.” It has always been this way for Ohno, and Ohno wants Sho to be apart of it too.

Sho shakes his head. “I… I don’t want that…” he admits nervously. “Why can’t we just go on as we have before?”

Ohno lets out an annoyed grunt. “Sho-kun, I don’t want to hide. We don’t need to hide. You won’t be judged here. We aren’t the Milky Way Galaxy.”

“That may be, but there’s still the other galaxies. How will they feel when they see that the prince of Whirlpool is sleeping with another man?” Sho asks, a hint of annoyance in his tone as well.

“Why would that matter?” Ohno asks, “they aren’t in charge of our relationship!”

“They will talk!” Sho exclaims in disbelief, “it will tarnish your image!”

“Then let them! I don’t care!” Ohno says in exasperation, throwing his hands up in the air. Why is Sho acting like this? Ohno doesn’t understand why Sho is being this way—didn’t he say that he wanted to be free from the mindset of his own galaxy and to accept himself? _Yet, here we are,_ Ohno thinks to himself. Ohno doesn’t care what other people (people from _other_ galaxies) think of him. Ohno doesn’t crave the acknowledgement of those people—he only seeks for that from his own family and the people that look up to them.

“How can you think that way?” Sho asks, completely taken back at his outburst. “How can you not care what the other galaxy royalty think of you? You represent Whirlpool!”

Ohno rolls his eyes. He’s starting to get annoyed. “No,” Ohno says, shaking his head. “That’s my sister.”

Sho narrows his eyes at him. “Isn’t that a selfish thing to say? Just because she’s the crowned princess, it doesn’t mean that you get to be rid of your royal duties. You set an example too, Satoshi-kun.”

Ohno shrugs. “That’s true, but Mina is still more important than I.”

Sho shakes his head at him in bewilderment. “You truly don’t believe that others don’t talk about you?”

“I don’t listen to what others say if I can help it,” Ohno says truthfully. He has no need for the gossip.

Sho makes a frustrated noise. “You can’t just do that! And you can’t just tell people you’re dating a man! People will look at you with scorn and disgust!”

“Sho-kun, I told you, I don’t care,” Ohno says in frustration. Why doesn’t he understand that what other people think or say about them doesn’t matter? That it has _never_ mattered to him.

“It does if you’re the prince of Whirlpool! They will call you names, they will talk bad of you—”

“I don’t care,” Ohno interrupts him sharply. “I don’t understand why you don’t see that.”

“And what about your parents? What about potential heirs?” Sho asks, waving his arms now. “You can’t just—”

“Mina is the crowned princess, why do I need to worry about heirs?”

“Don’t the King and Queen want grandchildren from you?” Sho asks, eyes wide. Ohno blinks.

“Well, yeah… I guess they do but, if I’m with you, it doesn’t matter.”

Sho lets out a groan. “And have your parents hate me? I can’t do that, Satoshi-kun! I can’t let them hate you!”

“They won't hate you,” Ohno immediately says before frowning. “So are you… saying you don’t want to tell anyone of our relationship in the near future?” Ohno asks in confusion. Sho wraps his arms around himself.

“I… I just don’t think it’s a good idea. I think… you need to reflect more on it. It’s too hasty….” Sho trails off uneasily.

Ohno can feel himself getting annoyed and frustrated now. “Sho-kun,” Ohno says sternly, “I am not going to hide my feelings for you forever. I want to tell people in the future.”

Sho shakes his head and grimaces. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Satoshi-kun.”

Ohno sends him a look of disbelief. “So you never want to tell anyone about us? Ever?” He can’t believe what he’s hearing. He’s waiting for Sho to deny it, but...

Sho averts his gaze to the floor, fidgeting with his robes. “I… I just don’t think it’s a good idea....”

“Well maybe we should part then,” Ohno says in frustration, immediately regretting it as soon as the words fly out of his mouth. He tries to retract his statement right away, wants to take that look of pain and hurt away from his lover’s face but Sho suddenly raises a hand between them. He shakes his head, and suddenly he looks tired, more tired than Ohno has ever seen him look.

“Maybe you’re right.” Sho says in quiet resignation. “Maybe that's for the best.”

“Sho—”

Sho gives him a bow, a prince’s bow—one prince to another. “Thank you for all you have done for me Prince Satoshi,” Sho says when he stands up again. “I am forever in your debt.” Before Ohno can say anything else, Sho turns around and walks away.

Ohno stares at Sho’s retreating back in shock. He wants to yell after him. _I was joking! I don’t want us to break up!_ But nothing comes out. Ohno can’t make a single word come out of his mouth. He stands frozen as Sho’s figure disappears around the corner.

“Stupid,” Ohno curses quietly as he looks down at his hands. “Why did I say that?” He knows he should run after Sho and correct this misunderstanding. But is it even worth it? If Sho is giving up this easily, does that mean he doesn't care enough? No, he definitely cares, but… Sho is still hiding. Ohno knows he can’t do that, knows he can’t hide his relationship with Sho forever. _Maybe it’s better this way_ , Ohno thinks, even though he knows deep down that he doesn’t want it to end this way, knows that he should probably talk it out with Sho. _But is it worth it?_

Ohno does the one thing he has always been good at. It hasn't failed him before, and it hasn't failed him yet. In fact, _Sho-kun probably wouldn't even care. He's too caught up in hiding, so why would it matter?!_ Ohno thinks angrily as he stares at the space where Sho had just been standing at moments prior. He turns around in the opposite direction and stomps back to his room, his robes billowing furiously behind him as he makes his way down the corridor.

He has a voyage to pack for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... *runs away*


	5. Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY! So I apologize for the shortness of this chapter (compared to the monster that was chapter four) but we are almost to the finish line! I'm hoping the next (and last) chapter will be out before the year ends. Thank you everyone who has been following the story. Also, please note the change in pairings ;)

_Too many sorrows to count_  
_Too many joys to count_  
_Shining stars_

**

 

It's been a week and a half.

Nine days since their break up.

Sho wonders what Ohno is doing. Is he eating well? Is he still drawing at night like he always does? Is he taking care of himself? Is he also lying in bed thinking about Sho like he is about Ohno?

Sho misses him a lot.

 _It's for the best,_ Sho thinks as he hugs the pillow closer to his chest. _I don't deserve him. He doesn’t need someone like me to tie him down._

Because Sho is a coward.

Ohno had been right. What had been the point of leaving his home galaxy if he continues to be afraid of himself? Of being the person he has always wanted to be? Isn’t his whole reason for leaving his home galaxy is to be someone who isn’t afraid?

 _No coward deserves to be with someone like Satoshi-kun,_ he thinks angrily to himself as he stares at the empty space next to him in bed. Ohno deserves to be with someone who is sure of themselves, not someone who is scared and doesn't know what they want.

Sho has always known that he prefers the company of men. It’s something he had come to realize as he grew older in the palace of Sagittarius. Unlike his fellow peers, Sho’s eyes had always gone to other men instead of women. It had been a shame of his as he grew older, and he had tried to keep it hidden to the best of his ability.

His first crush on a man had been on one of his peers. Sho had never done anything, too afraid of the repercussions from his family if he did. So Sho had kept it quiet for most of his life until it got to be too much.

Sho had wanted to be himself.

 _Except I failed miserably in that department,_ he thinks to himself with a scowl. Ohno had taught him love, and Sho is forever grateful for that. _And then I messed up terribly._ He knows this very well. That day when they had their last argument (and their first), Sho had known that Ohno hadn’t meant his words, as hurtful as they were. But Sho had decided that it was probably for the best to end things. It was best that they parted ways because Ohno deserved so much more than what Sho can give him. So Sho had let him go.

_But I want him._

And that, is wherein lies the problem.

Sho curls up a little tighter.

 

“Hey, Sho-kun?”

Sho looks up at Aiba tiredly. It's been two full weeks since he and Ohno have broken up, and Sho misses him with each passing day. He’s currently in a diner with Aiba and a few of the other crew members for lunch. He’s picking at his food absentmindedly, not really in the mood for food.

Sho turns to the person next to him, and is a little taken back when he sees Aiba looking at him in determination.

“Yes, Masaki-kun?”

“You should go after him!” he exclaims, his eyes wide. Sho immediately knows who he’s talking about. By now, everyone on the ship knows about his relationship with Ohno, but Jun and Aiba have ordered everyone else to keep shut about it (at least around him).

“I don't know,” Sho responds quietly to his friend’s enthusiastic suggestion. “We broke up, and even if I did want to go after him, I don't know where he is.”

Aiba sighs and rolls his eyes. “Silly Sho-chan, Nino knows where he is!”

Sho blinks. _Nino?_ Of course. Why hadn't he thought of that? They're best friends. But… _what's the use?_ Does Ohno even want to see him again?

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, Masaki-kun,” Sho says with a tired sigh.

Aiba makes a frustrated noise. “But why not?” he asks, slamming his hand down on the table. “Just go talk to Nino-chan and he can tell you where Satoshi-kun went. It’s not hard!”

“Masaki-kun,” he sighs, “it’s not so simple.”

Aiba shakes his head. “I think it’s very simple. You’re the one making it complicated,” he says with a sigh. He turns back to his plate of food in front of him and joins in another conversation. Sho frowns and looks down at his plate.

Is it really as simple as Aiba says? _No, no it really isn’t,_ Sho thinks as he shoves a piece of chicken in his mouth.

 

Sho mulls over his conversation with Aiba over the next few days. Aiba’s not wrong: it really is simple asking Nino where Ohno is. Sho knows Ohno isn’t in the palace; he’s caught whispers from Jun and Aiba saying he’s left Canes Venatici the day they had their fight. But Sho doesn’t know where he’s gone. He could have gone to any other galaxy, and Sho knows Ohno wouldn’t mind going to a far one, especially since Ohno has no problems with travelling.

He’s walking down the streets of Canes Venatici’s marketplace by himself. It’s not quite that different from Sagittarius’ marketplace, there is one big noticeable difference. Sho watches as a couple--both men--walk by him hand in hand. In front of him, several metres away, he sees two women exchange chaste kisses with each other in greeting.

That would never be able to happen back in Sho’s home galaxy. If that had happened, the couples would be dragged to court to face judgement. The judges would slap charges of adultery and indecency in public and throw all four of them in jail. Sho frowns and wraps his arms around his body. It still amazes him how different Canes Venatici is, compared to his home capital, Sagittarius.

Continuing down the street, Sho walks past several more couples of the same sex— all of them are smiling. Sho feels himself getting more depressed by the minute as he walks past them.

 _What am I so afraid of?_ Sho thinks, as he looks around him at the happy couples, man and man; woman and woman; man and woman. He thinks back to Aiba’s words: _I think it’s very simple._ And maybe Aiba is right.

“I made a mess of it,” Sho mutters to himself, “and I need to fix it.”

Because if he doesn’t, who will? Certainly not Ohno. And it’s Sho’s fault, Sho’s cowardice that they’re like this now. He doesn’t know what will happen in the future, but Ohno has taught him to live in the present, and isn’t that all he needs for now? _One step at a time,_ he thinks. Nodding to himself, Sho turns around heads towards the royal palace.

He has an ambassador to meet.

 

It’s easy to gain access to the palace, especially when everyone in the palace seems to know who he is now. Sho thinks Nino’s probably had a hand in this revelation to the staff of the royal palace. He thanks the guards before making his way to Nino’s quarters.

“Nino!” Sho cries as he runs down the hallway. Several servants look at him wide eyed as he passes by, but Sho ignores them. He needs to see the man now. When Sho reaches the door he’s looking for, he barges through. “Nino, I—!” He freezes in shock at what he sees in the room. The room falls silent, only the sounds of two people’s heavy breathing can be heard. _Since when…?_ he thinks faintly as he takes in the scene in front of him.

Nino isn’t alone. He has Jun against the wall, the taller man trapping him against him with his legs. Nino has one hand up Jun’s shirt, while the other hand is in the front of Jun’s pants. Jun has one hand tucked right into the back of Nino’s pants, and they had been making out rather passionately.

“Sho-kun!” Jun exclaims in shock as he pushes Nino off of him. His shirt is open and there are red marks all over his neck.

“Uh, when did this happen?” Sho asks in a baffled tone. “Should I just… come back another time…?” he asks unsurely.

Nino sighs, and straightens up his clothes. “It’s fine, Sho-san. No— stay,” he orders Jun, who’s trying to sneak out of the room. He shakes his head. “You don’t need to leave.” Sho looks at them with wide eyes when Jun clears his throat and fixes his appearance quickly by brushing his hair with his fingers and straightening out his clothes before taking a seat at the armchair. Nino sends him an exasperated look before looking over at Sho and motioning for him to take a seat at the couch. “So what brings you barging in my office Sho-san?” he asks, settling down next to Jun, looking seemingly unbothered from being caught with his hand down someone else’s pants.

Still blushing, Sho averts his gaze from the pair and clears his throat. “I want to go after Satoshi-kun,” he says shakily. In the corner of his eye, he sees Jun startle at that. Nino blinks before leaning back and crossing his legs and arms. “I… I was hoping you could tell me where he went,” he continues nervously.

Nino is quiet, his face has taken on a contemplative expression as he observes Sho with a curious eye. Sho steals a quick glance at Jun, who’s looking down at Nino with an indiscernible expression. Finally, Nino breaks the silence.

“And why…” he begins slowly, “should I do that? From what I know, you were the one that wanted to break up with Satoshi.” He raises an eyebrow at Sho.

“Nino,” Jun says sternly, looking at him with a frown. Nino dismisses him with a wave.

“It’s the truth, is it not?” Nino asks, not taking his eyes off of Sho. “Why should I give you this information? You’ve hurt my cousin quite enough, haven’t you?”

Nino isn’t wrong. Sho can’t even get mad at Nino for asking him these questions, because they’re not wrong. It’s the truth. He looks up at Nino with a determined expression on his face.

“I need to talk to him. I want to explain to him,” Sho says.

“Explain to him about what? I think you made your point quite clear to him.”

Sho shakes his head. “I realized I made a big mistake. I want to rectify this.”

Nino studies him quietly, a contemplative look on his face. Jun is looking between them, eyes darting back and forth as the silence between the three of them get more awkward. Sho keeps his gaze on Nino, not backing down by those cold eyes of his.

“And what,” Nino finally says, “do you hope to achieve by meeting Satoshi again?”

Sho thinks back to his conversation with Aiba a couple days ago.

_You’re the one making it complicated._

“I want to… I want to tell Ohno how much he means to me,” Sho says finally. Because he does. Because he wants to thank Ohno for his kindness and his love. He wants to take back what he has said to Ohno all those weeks ago. He wants Ohno back. “I want to not be afraid. Not to be afraid of being with him. I want to be able to tell him that I’m not scared of showing my love to everyone.” Sho confesses honestly. He thinks back to their fight. It is because of his fear of being judged that they’re apart like this, that he’s hurting like this. Sho knows that it’ll take some time to get used to but… _if it’s for Satoshi-kun, I’ll do it for him._ He has to overcome his fears. Sho has to find the courage to be himself, free from the fear and prejudices that he had felt in his home galaxy.

 _And I can’t do it without Satoshi-kun’s help,_ he realizes. It has always been Ohno who had given him the strength and love to finally let him be the person he had always wanted to be: a person who doesn’t feel shame about loving someone he loves. _Isn’t that why I left everything behind in the first place?_

Sho waits nervously as Nino seems to be thinking over his answer. Jun sends Sho a comforting look, knowing how nervous he probably feels at the moment.

“Okay,” Nino finally says with a nod. “I’ll tell you where Satoshi is, but only on one condition.” He holds up a finger.

Sho feels elated and relieved at Nino’s acceptance. He nods frantically. “Yes, yes! Anything!” He’ll do anything now if that means he can see Ohno again.

Nino smiles at him, not unkindly. “Just make sure you make him happy, okay? That’s all I ask for. He deserves it.”

“I’ll try my best,” Sho replies seriously. He wants Ohno back with him, if Ohno will have him.

Nino smiles and nods in satisfaction before he gives Sho a dismissive gesture. “Good, good. I’ll let you know the date when we can set sail. Just need to finish up these papers, and then we can go. Now, please leave so I can continue with what I was doing with Jun-kun earlier.”

Jun makes a choking sound beside him and Sho immediately bows at them before dashing out the room. He can hear Jun’s loud and angry cry of, _NINO!_ as he rushes down the hallway. Chuckling to himself, Sho can’t help but grin.

He did it. He’s going to go see Ohno and hopefully make things right.

 

“He might not want to talk to you, you know?”

Sho snaps out of his reverie and turns around. Nino stands before him with his arms crossed behind him. He’s not wearing his diplomat robes this time. Instead, Nino has opted for something more casual. Sho thinks the casual attire makes the other man look much younger than he really is. And much less intimidating.

“Mind if I join you?” Nino asks politely. Sho shakes his head.

“Go ahead.”

Nino sends him a wry smile and steps up to the spot next to him. They both turn to look out at the path of stars below them. A week after their conversation, they have finally set sail to where Ohno is. Jun and Aiba had offered to take Sho there (but Sho’s pretty convinced Nino played a big part). The royal ambassador had declared he was taking a mini vacation from work by tagging along with the crew. Sho supposes making out with the co-captains could probably count as a mini vacation for the body. He grimaces as he remembers this morning: he had caught Nino and Aiba making out in the corner of the lunchroom like teenagers. Sho had tried to burn the image out of his mind after that.

“I’m aware of that,” he says after a few moments of silence, “but I will forever regret it if I don’t at least try.”

Because he has already had so many regrets in life. He refuses to let this one be another.

Nino nods, still looking out at the sky. “No harm in trying for sure.”

“And if he doesn’t want me back…” Sho trails off weakly, “then I will have to find my way on my own.”

Nino turns to him now, his eyes narrowed. “What do you mean by that?”

Sho shakes his head. “I do not know for now, but I will figure it out if it happens.”

The fall into another comfortable silence. Sho breaks it a few minutes later.

“So you and… Jun-kun?” he asks hesitantly, unsure if he’s allowed to talk about it.

Nino spares him a glance before turning back to the front. “And Masaki-kun,” he says after a beat.

Sho’s eyes widens. “M-Masaki-kun?”

Nino snickers and rests his chin on his elbows. “Yeah. So scandalous for you, Sho-san?”

“How—that’s possible?” he wonders in disbelief.

“Of course it is,” Nino says with a roll of his eyes. “I can’t help it that I’m so good looking.” He gives Sho a small wave.

“I don't know how this happened. When did it happen?” Sho asks in bewilderment. “And how…” He can feel his face turning crimson red.

“Well, when people are attracted to one another…” Nino drawls. He pauses, taking in Sho’s red face. “Why are you turning so red?”

“Um…” Sho directs his gaze back to the stars in front of him. Why did he have to think about it? At the corner of his eye, he sees Nino pressing closer before letting out a loud gasp. Sho blushes even harder when he hears Nino snicker.

“Oh my! What was our Sho-san thinking about?” Nino asks in-between chuckles. “I assure you, three is a good number for some fun!”

“Nino!” Sho cries, hating how hot his face is getting. He scowls when Nino bursts out laughing maniacally. “Geez!”

“I'm sorry! But your face!”

“I can't believe this.” Sho pouts as Nino continues to laugh beside him.

“It's so fun to tease you, Sho-san,” Nino says when he finally manages to stop laughing hard enough to speak. “Your face got so scowly whenever I touched Satoshi.”

“I didn’t know you guys were related then!” Sho whines in defense. When Nino finally stops snickering, he pats Sho on the shoulders.

“It’s okay. I thought it was quite cute.”

“Hmph.”

“Alright, I’m going to go find Masaki now. Who knows what trouble he’s getting himself into now,” Nino says, pushing himself away from edge of the ship.

“One that Jun-kun won’t like probably,” Sho says, raising an eyebrow at him. Nino smirks back at him.

“Probably.”

Waving the royal ambassador off, Sho turns back to the scenery in front of him. He thinks back to Nino’s words earlier: _He might not want to talk to you._ Sho knows that this is a possible case. But he has to try at least. _Or I’ll regret it for the rest of my life,_ he tells himself. He owes Ohno this at least—he needs to tell him that he… loves him. Sho’s eyes widens at the realization.

He loves Ohno.

Somehow that revelation doesn’t terrify him. It actually puts a lot of things in perspective. _So I have to set it right,_ he thinks in determination. Sho wants to be with Ohno. He wants to tell everyone that he loves Ohno. He wants to show Ohno that he’s proud to be the one he has chosen. _Assuming he still wants me,_ he thinks with a sigh.

Sho looks out at the horizon. There are stars falling all around them, and the stars will take him to where Ohno will be, to where he’s residing. Is he watching the sky like he is right now? Sho watches as a shooting star flies by, sparkling brightly before it disappears into the darkness of the sky around him.

_I’m coming, Satoshi-kun._


	6. Part Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WE REACHED THE END! FINALLY. Thank you to all who have been on this long journey with me. I hope the ending will be satisfactory for you. I dedicate the chapter to Q for being the one to push me to finish it. Also, thanks to my beta, rinkufan, for dealing with my whining and complaints as I typed the chapters up. *throws everyone buckets of stars* Also, thanks to my friend, L, for the translation of these verses. <3

 

_If you happen to get lost in this galaxy_   
_I'll search anywhere and everywhere for your small light_   
_And then I would become a constellation to be next to you_   
_I want to stare into those eyes which are like galaxies, forever and ever._

**

 

“Young man, if you're going to daydream, you might as well head back to the house and help your grandmother with some mundane task. Don’t do it when you’re star fishing.”

Ohno snaps out his daze as his grandfather begins reeling in the net of fallen stars. Quickly jumping to his feet, he grabs the other side of the net and helps his grandfather pull the stars up on the terrace. The stars inside the net vibrate as they try to escape, but the flame-proof net is perfect for keeping stars in place.

“How many did you catch?” he asks as his grandfather sets the net down and begins pulling out several glass jars and his gloves. Ohno takes his own pair out of his pocket and grabs one of the jars his grandfather hands him.

“We have about sixty in here. Not bad.” His grandfather slowly opens the the net and begins placing the stars in them. Ohno does the same. They work quietly together, placing the stars in the jars and sealing them tight. His grandfather hums a tune as he proceeds onto his fifth jar. It's a tune that Ohno has heard since his childhood, a song that his grandfather would always sing when Ohno came to visit his grandparents.

“So why are you all sulky, my boy?” his grandpa finally asks when he finishes the song.

“What do you mean?” Ohno mumbles as he seals the jar tightly and places it on top of the other ones.

“Satoshi, I know when you sulk. You get quieter than usual, and that's already something. What is it?”

Ohno frowns as he grabs a new jar. “Don't worry about it, grandpa. It's nothing important.”

His grandpa snorts, and pauses in his task to look at him in bemusement. “Boy, if something made you go all the way out here with us, just shortly after Mina’s wedding, it definitely is important. Your grandmother was so surprised you wanted to come with us, not that she was complaining. She missed you.”

Ohno pouts. “I know. I've been away for a long time. I already heard most of the ranting from Kazu.”

His grandpa laughs. “Despite the idiocy of his mother, that boy has a good head on his shoulders.” Ohno grins. “You should tell him to visit his grandparents more.”

“I’ll try. Kazu is busy.”

His grandpa sighs. “Too busy to visit his old man, eh?” His grandpa sends him a look. “How long are you going to be here for anyway?”

“Getting rid of me so soon, grandfather?” Ohno says wryly. His grandpa laughs and shakes his head.

“I don’t mind you visiting us, Satoshi. Your grandma gets lonely.”

Ohno feels a pang of guilt when he hears that. Since his departure years ago, Ohno has realized that his family had missed him more than he thought. It's not something that he had intentionally done, but it was hard to communicate just through letters when your family lives several star systems away.

“So why are you here, Satoshi?” his grandfather asks as he begins to gather all the jars in the crate. Ohno jumps to help him, grabbing the two closest to him.

“Can't I visit my grandparents without reason?” Ohno asks.

His grandfather sends him a look—the same one Nino tends to give him when his cousin knows he's lying. “Well, it doesn't happen to have to do with a certain man, right?”

Ohno sends him a look of disbelief. “How did you—”

“Kazunari-kun told me.”

Ohno sighs angrily. “It was not his place to tell you that. Don't worry about it, grandfather. It's over now.”

“Do you really think so?”

Ohno frowns at him as they finish putting the last of the jars in the crate. “Yes, why?”

“Satoshi, I have seen you in relationships before,” he begins, bending to lift the crate.

“I think most of the family have, grandpa. Here, I can do it for you.” Ohno gently pushes his grandfather to the side before bending down to lift the crate himself. They start making their way back to the house.

“Satoshi,” his grandfather chides beside him as they make their way up the hill, “I have seen you in relationships before but this is the first time I have actually seen you run away because of it.”

“I wasn't running away!” Ohno denies loudly.

“You ran away,” his grandfather deadpans, “and I know from Kazunari that this guy you were seeing is Sakurai Sho, the missing prince of the Milky Way Galaxy.”

Ohno groans. “Do we really have to talk about this?”

“Yes. Your grandmother told me to.” Ohno sees the house on the distance and walks a little faster, his grandpa matching stride for stride beside him.

Ohno sighs loudly. “Grandpa, do we—”

“Your grandmother thinks you need to talk to Sho-san again. Here, place it on the porch.”

Ohno slowly places the crate on the side of the porch before standing up and wiping the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. _Those were heavy!_ Ohno winces as he leans backwards to get rid of the tight feeling in his back. “I don't know what Kazu has told you,” Ohno says as he pulls off his gloves and tosses them on top of the crate, “but Sho-kun and I are over. He said we were over.”

“Well, if that was the case, he wouldn't be here, would he?” A voice calls out in front of him. Ohno looks up and sees his grandmother standing there with her arms crossed and an unamused expression on her face. But that's not what captures his attention. No, it's the fact that _Sho!_ is standing there right beside her.

“S-Sho?! S-Sho-kun?!” he sputters in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

Sho looks incredibly nervous, but the man squares his shoulders and puts on a confident front. Ohno can't help but admire the yutaka he’s is wearing. It's a mix of Ohno’s family colours and cherry blossom petals decorate the sleeves in a majestic manner.

“I think you guys should talk,” his grandmother says gently. “He's been waiting for you.” She turns to Sho and pats him gently on the shoulder. “Go on, dear.”

“Thank you, grandma,” Sho says with a bow.

“Think nothing of it! Now you two go solve this problem and be back in time for dinner!”

His grandfather chuckles beside him before heading up the steps to the front door. He pats Sho on the shoulder when he passes and Sho gives him a tiny bow as well. His grandmother smiles at them both before gently closing the door behind them.

Ohno stares at Sho. It's been almost two weeks since he's left for the Sunflower Galaxy, almost two weeks since they parted, and here Sho is, standing right in front of him in _his_ family’s colours. Ohno doesn't know what to make of the entire situation—he’s overwhelmed.

“How did you know I was here?” Ohno asks, still not moving from the bottom of the porch. Sho fidgets with the sleeves of his yutaka nervously, but he's still looking at Ohno in the eyes. Ohno notes that this is the first time Sho has really looked at him when he's nervous; many other times in the past, Sho has always averted his gaze when he is nervous.

“Nino-kun told me,” Sho responds quietly.

Ohno blinks owlishly at him. Nino told Sho? “Kazu told you?!” he asks in disbelief. Sho nods and takes a step forward towards him. Ohno looks up at him and notices how tired the man looks. He also looks like he's lost a lot of weight. “Have you been eating properly? Sho-kun, you look—”

“I thought about you everyday,” Sho interrupts abruptly. Ohno lets his protest die on his lips. “Everyday I thought about what you said that day in the hallway, and about us.”

Ohno shakes his head. “I shouldn't have. I'm sorry, I was out of line—”

“No!” Sho exclaims and Ohno flinches slightly. “No,” he says again, much softer this time. He takes another step down from the porch. They're so close, only an arm’s length apart. If Ohno wants, he can basically reach out and touch him. “No, you were right.”

“About what?”

“I am a coward.”

“Sho—”

“No, Satoshi-kun, please listen to me,” Sho pleads. Ohno sees the look of desperation and hope on the former prince’s face. Ohno closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. When he opens them again, he reaches for Sho’s hand and pulls him down on the last step on the stairs.

“Okay,” Ohno says softly before letting go of Sho’s hand. Sho looks like he wants to be anywhere but here, but Ohno knows that the other man won’t run away. Not when he has reached this point.

“I—I thought about what I said before,” Sho begins quietly as he looks down between them before lifting his gaze to meet his again. “And I thought about what you said, and you were right. I can’t keep running, I can’t keep living in fear of what others think. The reason I left my home in the first place was because I wanted to be free of that fear. I wanted to be able to be myself.

“When I left Sagittarius that day, I didn’t expect to find… love. I didn’t think that I would find someone who would hold the same regard that I do for them. I’m very grateful that you stayed with me, despite my fears and insecurities, of my desire of wanting to keep the relationship a secret.” Sho gives him a royal’s bow. Ohno stares with his mouth open wide in shock. “I’m very thankful you were patient with me, Satoshi-kun. And I realized that after I left that day… I realized that I haven’t changed at all. I was still the same cowardly prince who was scared of being judged, who was scared of having people talk about him, someone who only wanted to be accepted.”

“Sho— “

“Please let me finish, Satoshi-kun,” he says kindly and Ohno purses his lips and nods. “And I realized that… that’s not what I wanted. Not what I only wanted. I do want to be accepted for who I am, but I realized that all that…” the last part of Sho’s speech trails off and he looks up at the night sky. “I realized that all of that,” he says with conviction now, “all of that is nothing without you.” He looks down between them and reaches for Ohno’s hand, resting his hands on his palms. “I don’t want to live this life without you, Satoshi-kun. You’ve shown me what living is really like. What love can truly be. The people and the cultures that exist among the stars. Thank you for that.”

Ohno nods dumbly at him. He has no idea that Sho had even felt this way. He had known that the other man had struggled with himself during the months they were dating, and struggled with fully accepting the idea that he was attracted to men, even if Sho knew he had been attracted to men since his teenage years.

“And I want us to be together, if you will have me,” Sho continues shakily. “And I don’t mind if you want to tell everyone that we’re together.” Ohno looks at him in surprise. That… he had not expected that to come from Sho. He notices that Sho is shaking, and Ohno reaches down to take a hold of his hand.

“Sho-kun,” he mumbles, “breathe.” He watches as Sho takes several deep breaths before giving him a sheepish smile.

“Sorry, I—I don’t—I guess I’m just very nervous.” Ohno smiles and steps closer to him. His heart feels like it’s about to burst out of his chest. Sho is here, in front of him. Sho wants to be with him. Nothing can make Ohno happier. He sees Sho clear his throat before continuing, “So I just wanted to tell you that I…” Ohno blinks in surprise. _Is he going…?_ “I wanted to tell you that I… I love you. When we were apart, I came to that realization.” Sho closes his eyes for a few moments before opening it again, looking at Ohno with kind eyes.

Ohno blinks, trying to absorb everything Sho has told him. Sho loves him? He looks at him in bewilderment. He wonders what has changed within the two months they’ve been apart. Sho starts fidgeting the longer the silence between them stretches.

“Um,” Sho finally says, breaking the silence. “I guess I’ll—”

“I need to think about it,” Ohno cuts in. Sho stiffens before deflating. Ohno squeezes his hand. “This isn’t a no,” he tells him with a shake of his head. “I just need to think about a few things. Can you wait for me?” Sho looks like he’s going to say something, but closes his mouth and nods instead. Smiling, Ohno lets go of Sho’s hand gently. “Thank you, Sho-kun.” Sho nods meekly. “Have you eaten?”

“N-no,” Sho stutters.

“Excellent, my grandmother would be happy to have another mouth to feed.” Without another word, Ohno walks past Sho and up the steps of his grandparents house. He hears Sho follow him silently.

Dinner is a quiet affair. Ohno doesn’t talk much, and Sho doesn’t try to engage him in conversation. He gets along great with his grandparents though, and Ohno watches in carefully concealed amusement as Sho and his grandfather discuss about the the state of the economy.

When it’s time for bed, his grandmother shows Sho to the guest room. Ohno quickly heads for his bedroom. He removes his shirt and pants and changes to his sleepwear. Sliding in between the sheets, Ohno plants his face against his pillow and lets out a long sigh.

He has no idea why he had hesitated to accept Sho’s apology. He knows that he would say yes to Sho regardless, but something had held him back from saying yes outright. He lets out a long sigh and rolls on his back. He’ll think about it more tomorrow. _There’s no use thinking about it now…_

When Ohno wakes up the next morning, he hears loud activity coming from the kitchen. Blinking awake, Ohno pushes himself up to sit. He hears Sho’s voice downstairs and his grandmother’s. _Looks like they’re getting along,_ Ohno thinks with a small smile before throwing the covers off.

When Ohno makes it downstairs half an hour later, Sho is cleaning the dishes. His grandmother is nowhere in sight. He stands at the doorway of the kitchen awkwardly. He scans the kitchen and finds a plate on the table.

“That’s for you,” Sho says, breaking Ohno from his thoughts.

“A-ah.” Cursing himself for being so awkward, Ohno makes his way over to the sink to grab some eating utensils. Sho has to move out of the way for him to move and as Ohno pulls back, he catches a whiff of Sho’s scent. Ohno feels his heart skip a beat when Sho’s familiar scent hits his nose. Pulling back quickly, Ohno turns around and sits down at the dining table. He removes the plastic wrap and begins digging in, trying to ignore Sho.

When he’s finished, Sho is still standing at the sink. Realizing that he has to give the dish to Sho, Ohno wonders if he can try to wait for Sho to leave before walking over to the sink.

“Are you done?” Sho asks him kindly. “You can give me the plate to wash.” He holds his hand out. Ohno gives him the plate meekly and stands back to watch him wash the dishes.

_What am I doing?_

Ohno decides to get out of there before it gets even more awkward. He goes back up to his room. If his grandmother is at home with them, she probably would have given him an earful for being rude. Ex-lover or not, his grandmother would have scolded him for being rude a guest. He’s glad she’s not home right now. He makes his way over to his bed. The sheets are a mess and at the end of his bed is his sketchbook. He had been drawing last night. Climbing on top of sheets, Ohno reaches over for the book and opens to the new page.

Sho still looks the same: handsome and kind. Ohno wants to capture that image again. Grabbing his charcoal, Ohno tries to draw Sho’s face by memory.

He doesn’t leave his room until his grandparents come back home hours later.

 

The next couple of days pass by the same way. Ohno tries to avoid being around Sho as much as he can, hating the nervous flutter in his stomach every time he hears Sho’s laughter or when he feels his gaze on him. He sees his grandmother attempt to talk to him a few times, but he always manages to escape at the last possible second.

Ohno knows he’s not acting very mature about this, but Ohno still doesn’t know what he wants. What exactly is he afraid of? Sho has told him he loves him, has said he is willing to try to be more open with his love. That’s all fine and dandy, but there’s a difference between saying that and acting on it. Maybe that’s his problem: he doesn’t know if Sho is actually serious.

 _But what if he is?_ Ohno asks himself as he’s catching the stars with his grandfather, three days after Sho had arrived on their doorstep. The stars fall around them as Ohno contemplates on this possibility.

The next evening, Ohno’s grandmother manages to catch him before he could escape for dinner in his room.

“Manners,” she hisses at him before making him sit down beside Sho. Ohno grimaces and awkwardly takes the empty seat. He sneaks a glance at Sho and sees that the former prince is chatting animatedly with his grandfather.

Ohno doesn’t say anything for the rest of the meal. While the three of them are happily chattering away about the most mundane things, Ohno stays quiet, just wanting to finish his food and slip away from Sho. As they start cleaning up the dishes, his grandmother and Sho head to the living room. Ohno is about to bring the dirty dishes over to the sink, when he hears his grandmother ask Sho faintly: “So how did you and Satoshi meet?” Ohno stiffens but proceeds to the sink quietly.

He hears Sho laugh nervously. Ohno wonders what he’ll tell her.

“It’s a funny story actually…” Sho begins.

“Funny stories are always the best ones,” his grandmother says. “Now come on, tell me how you met my foolish grandson.”

“It was many months ago,” Sho says, his tone surprisingly fond. “That was the day I decided to escape my home galaxy. I didn’t want to live a lie of a life anymore. I ran into Satoshi-kun and he helped me escape.”

“And then you guys travelled to the Andromeda Galaxy?”

“Yes, but at the time, I had no idea Satoshi-kun was an Ohno.”

“When did you guys fall in love?”

“Oh…”

Ohno scrubs the pan harder.

“I don’t know about Satoshi-kun,” Sho says slowly, “but I started to fall for him a month into our journey.”

“Ooh! So fast?” His grandmother asks, and he can faintly hear his grandmother clap in delight. Sho gives a quiet affirmative noise.

Ohno stares down at the soapy suds on his hands in shock. Sho had actually told his grandmother outright that?

“Yeah, but I guess it wasn’t hard to. Satoshi-kun is very kind.” Ohno blushes at the fond tone in Sho’s voice.

“Yes, he’s a kind boy. Kind, but foolish at times. I hope he treated you right.”

“He did. I’m very grateful for his kindness and love.”

Ohno looks towards the direction of the living room in bewilderment. Sho is actually… he would’ve never thought that Sho would say that. His grandmother switches the topic to Sho’s home galaxy.

He thinks about it for the rest of the day.

 

That night, before he gets to his room, his grandmother manages to catch him before he goes in.

“Satoshi.”

“Yes, grandma?”

“A word.” She motions him to go to his room and they both enter quietly. Ohno looks at her in confusion when she closes the door.

“Is there something wrong?” he asks in concern.

She looks at him for a long moment before finally sighing. “I know it’s not my place to say anything but…” She shakes her head. “You need to think about what you want to do with Sho-kun.”

“What do you mean?”

“You better act fast young man. Sho-kun won’t be here forever. I know you’re trying to sort your feelings out, but you can’t keep him waiting forever. You need to decide what you want to do. Do you love him?”

“I do,” he says immediately.

“Then what is the problem?” she asks in confusion. Ohno sighs and rubs a hand at his neck. “If you love him, and he loves you, why are you like this?”

“I’m… afraid,” Ohno confesses. “I’m afraid he’ll change his mind.” Because his heart will break if he does. “I don’t…”

“Satoshi.” His grandmother steps up to him and lays a hand on his shoulder. She gives him a reassuring smile. “I know you’re afraid, but I think that you will end up regretting it too if you don’t at least try. Isn’t it better to have lived and let live? You will always look back and think of the what-ifs in the future of this moment.”

“I-I guess…”

“And,” his grandmother adds in a disappointed tone, “I think you’re underestimating Sho-kun.”

“Underestimating?”

His grandmother nods. “I think you’re underestimating how much he really cares for you. Doesn’t it mean something that he’s stepped out of his shell to come and see you? To tell me, with the most sincere look on his face, that he loves you? I know you heard us.”

Ohno can feel his face heating up. “Ah…”

His grandmother smirks at him before removing her hand and taking a step back. “You need to think about what you want now, Satoshi. Sho-kun has told you what he wants. Now it’s your turn.”

When she leaves him for the night, Ohno sits on his bed and flips through his drawings. Each page has sketches of Sho, his face in a variety of expressions. He knows she’s right. Sho has told him what he wants, now it’s up to him to make his decision.

Maybe it’s time to stop running away from the things that scare him.

 

Unfortunately, that sounds easier said than done.

Over the next few days, every time Ohno has tried to confront or speak to Sho, the former prince always shies away. It’s frustrating, and Ohno wonders what Sho is trying to do.

Grumbling to himself as he helps his grandpa reel in the stars, Ohno knows he has to formulate a plan to get Sho to talk to him. _I’m not giving up that easily._ He snaps out of his reverie when his grandpa yells at him to get the jars ready.

The next evening, Ohno is starting to get fed up. He has tried to talk to Sho the entire day but Sho is too busy helping his grandparents by doing the household chores and then going to town with his grandmother to get some errands done. He’s starting to get really annoyed. He can see Sho watching him at the corner of his eye when Ohno declares that he’s done with dinner and that he’s going to get ready for bed.

Ohno glares at the space in front of him as he walks up the stairs. He can hear Sho moving behind him, his steps slow and cautious. Ohno is reaching the end of his rope with the entire situation. He has tried to show Sho that he cares, but the other man keeps shying away! At first, Ohno had thought that maybe Sho had gotten tired of waiting for his answer. But thankfully, that isn’t the case. He knows Sho still cares for him, if his glances at him are an indicator. _So what is he doing?_ Ohno thinks in frustration as he walks to his bedroom. Sho has already slipped into his room, after saying a soft good night to him. _It’s my fault I stretched it out this long but…_

Groaning in frustration, Ohno decides that enough is enough. He thinks back to what his grandmother had said to him a few days ago: _You better act fast, young man. Sho-kun won’t be here forever._ He knows that. He can’t wait for Sho to come to him anymore. Sho had been the one to come to him and seek for his forgiveness. Now, it is Ohno’s turn to go to Sho.

Nodding to himself, Ohno stomps over to Sho’s room quietly. Taking a few deep breaths, trying to push away his nervousness, he gives Sho’s door a three firm knocks.

“Yes?” comes the response immediately. Ohno doesn’t reply. If he does, Sho may not open the door for him. He hears Sho shuffling from the other side of the door. “Ye—” When the door opens, Ohno shoves his way inside and slams the door behind him. Sho looks at him in shock as Ohno crosses his arms and glares at him. “Sa—”

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Ohno cuts him off, frowning at him.

“No, I haven't,” Sho returns weakly. Ohno gives him a pointed look before leaning back against the door.

“You have. I’ve been trying to talk to you but you keep running from me,” he says with a huff.

“I have no idea—”

“Sho-kun.” Ohno pushes himself off the door and moves to stand in front of him. He looks up at him and frowns. “I don’t want us to be like this.” He looks down at the space between them. If he leans up he can…

“What are you trying to say, Satoshi-kun?” Sho asks shakily. Ohno looks up and meets Sho’s eyes.

“I’m saying I’m tired of this game and I just want us to just be together.” Sho’s eyes widened and Ohno reaches up and cradles Sho’s face in his hands. “I missed you. I want to be with you. I’m tired of us—” he gets cut off as Sho presses forward and kisses him.

Ohno’s response is immediate. He wraps his arms around Sho’s neck and pulls him closer, kissing him back desperately. Sho makes tiny whimpers against his mouth as Ohno explores his mouth with his tongue. _I missed this so much,_ he thinks as Sho’s hands slide down his back, pushing him closer to him. When they finally pull apart, their breathing is laboured and Ohno gently rests his head against Sho’s shoulders. Sho has his arms wrapped tightly around him.

“I missed you,” Sho confesses quietly.

“Me too,” Ohno says quietly.

“Stay with me tonight?” Sho nuzzles his cheek against Ohno’s head. Ohno sighs happily.

“Of course.”

Ohno goes in for another kiss.

 

When Ohno wakes up the next morning, he’s spooning Sho from behind. Sho is still fast asleep beside him, snuggling up close against him, their legs tangled together. He hears the front door shut with a bang and he knows his grandparents have left the house for the morning. Ohno lets out a happy sigh and snuggles closer to Sho.

He has missed holding Sho in his arms. He nuzzles against Sho’s back, relishing in his lover’s body heat. He stops when he feels Sho stir in his sleep, grinning when Sho tucks himself closer to Ohno. He rests his head against Sho’s back and falls back into a peaceful slumber.

When he wakes up the second time, his body feels like it’s on fire. Blinking groggily awake, Ohno realizes he’s lying on his back and… Sho is between his legs.

“Morning,” Sho says cheerfully, meeting his eyes as Ohno looks down across his chest. His breath causes a tingling sensation on his cock before Sho engulfs him whole. Ohno lets out a groan and immediately wraps his legs around Sho’s body, his hands in his lover’s hair.

Sho doesn’t tease, he makes quick work of sucking Ohno. His tongue swirls around the tip as his hands massages the length. Ohno groans louder when Sho hollows his cheeks and gives a particularly hard suck, the sensation travelling down to his balls. Just as he’s about to come, Sho pulls off with a loud _pop!_

Ohno pants harshly, and immediately snaps his eyes down at Sho to protest but the words dies in his throat. Sho is starting to remove his clothes, pulling off his shirt first before going on to his pants. Ohno takes the time to admire Sho’s body before Sho moves up on top of him and aligns his body against his. Capturing his lips in a gentle kiss, Ohno opens his mouth and lets Sho kiss him any way he wants. Sho sucks at his tongue as his hands travel down the length of his body, stroking the skin gently. Ohno can feel his hard erection against his thigh, and Ohno groans when he felt Sho’s precum drip on his skin.

The kiss is messy and wet, but Ohno doesn’t care about that now. Sho doesn’t seem to either, if the way his tongue explores his mouth ravenously is an indication. When they finally pull apart for air, Sho rests his forehead against his.

“Good morning,” Ohno says with a chuckle. Sho smiles at him and presses a chaste kiss to his lips.

“Do you have anything for…?” Sho asks, his voice trailing off. Ohno blinks and shakes his head.

“No, not in my room.”

Sho groans and pushes himself off of Ohno. “Okay, let me go check my pack. I might have something.” He slips off the bed. Ohno admires the view of Sho’s behind.

When Sho comes back, he’s holding a jar of oil in his hand. Placing it down on the bedside table, Sho slips into bed beside him and begins kissing him again. Ohno slides his hands up to rest at Sho’s shoulders before sliding them down to his arms. When they break the kiss, Ohno spreads his legs to accommodate Sho.

“No,” Sho breathes and wraps his arms around Ohno, flipping their positions unexpectedly. “I want you,” he breathes into Ohno’s mouth. Ohno pauses and pulls back. Sho’s face is bright red, and Ohno thinks it makes such a pretty picture. Then the implication of Sho’s words hit him. He looks down at Sho in surprise.

“Do you mean…”

Sho nods and reaches out for the jar of oil and places it in Ohno’s hand, his face now crimson. “Please, I want you to take me. I want…” he pauses, pursing his lips before speaking again, “I want to stop being afraid.”

“Are you sure? It’s okay if you’re not—”

“Please,” Sho says. “It’s not fair if I’m always the one doing it to you. I want it to be equal between us.”

Ohno shakes his head. “I don’t mind, Sho-kun, really.”

“I know you don’t, but I really— I want this, Satoshi-kun.”

Ohno sits back and thinks about it. Sho looks back at him, his face set with determination. Realizing that this might mean more than what Ohno can understand, Ohno smiles at him and leans forward to give him a small kiss on the lips. “Okay then,” he assents. Sho smiles back at him nervously.

Ohno sits back and opens the jar. He coats his fingers liberally before setting the jar aside, making sure it’s a safe distance away from them. He scoots closer to him and Sho spreads his legs wide.

“This might be more comfortable,” Ohno suggests, taking one of Sho’s legs and slings it over his shoulder. “Let me know if it’s uncomfortable, okay?” Sho nods silently. Giving Sho one last look, Ohno brings his finger close to Sho’s opening. Pressing at the ring of muscle around there to let Sho prepare himself mentally, Ohno slowly slips one finger in. He meets some resistance and Ohno looks up, one hand sliding to caress Sho’s thigh. “Relax…” he says soothingly to him. He pauses, only pressing forward when he feels the ring of muscle around his finger loosen a bit. When he finally reaches his knuckle, he presses a kiss on Sho’s calf and slowly moves the digit back and forth.

“That feels weird,” Sho comments as Ohno twists his finger.

“I’m adding another one,” Ohno warns, and slips the second digit inside with much less resistance. Ohno begins to pump his fingers, scissoring them to stretch the muscles further. He shifts his fingers a little and tries to find that sweet spot. He wants to know what kind of noises Sho will make. Sho has a look of concentration on his face. When Ohno pushes deeper, Sho jumps and Ohno grins. _Found it._ He brushes against the spot again, and Sho lets out a small, _“oh.”_

Ohno teases him lightly, brushing his fingers against the spot gently as he continues to add a third finger and stretch him open. It isn’t long until he has Sho panting and squirming underneath him in pleasure. “I like you like this,” Ohno says teasingly as he slips his fingers out of him and reaches for the jar again.

“Satoshi-kun!” Sho cries in embarrassment, before tensing when he feels the head of Ohno’s cock at his entrance.

“Just breathe, okay, Sho-kun?” Ohno says soothingly, his hands massaging Sho’s thighs. “It’ll hurt less if you relax.” Ohno begins to push in slowly, biting his lips to keep a groan from escaping. Sho is so hot and tight around him, and at the back of his mind, Ohno wonders if he’s prepared Sho enough. Sho gasps and lets out a whimper as Ohno continues to push in until he’s buried at the hilt.

“Oh… gods…” Sho pants, his hands tightening on the sheets.

“Okay?” Ohno asks, pressing butterfly kisses on Sho’s calf. He stays still as Sho tries to relax around him. “Tell me when to move.”

Sho takes three deep breathes before dropping his leg from Ohno’s shoulder. Ohno waits patiently, only letting out small groans when Sho starts pushing against him in shallow thrusts. When they begin to increase in speed, Sho wraps his legs around Ohno’s waist and pulls him closer. “Move,” Sho chokes out.

Ohno starts moving slowly in deep thrusts, not wanting to hurt Sho. However, it seems that that’s not what Sho wants because he gives Ohno a glare and clenches around him, stopping Ohno’s movements.

“Faster,” he orders, moving against him again.

Ohno raises an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure?”

Sho nods. “I can take it.” Ohno pauses, looking at him. He feels Sho squirming around him, and goodness, if Sho doesn’t stop that—Ohno pulls out slowly so that only the head of his cock is still inside of Sho and then slams back in roughly. Sho lets out a shout and then Ohno is thrusting into him roughly. He grabs both of Sho’s legs and wraps them around his waist and places his hands on Sho’s waist, pumping into him at a fast pace.

“SatoshiSatoshiSatoshi—” Sho chants his name like a mantra, his body arching with every thrust. Ohno reaches out with one hand and strokes Sho in his hand, thumbing at the slit of his cock. Sho comes with a groan, coating Ohno’s hand and his stomach with his release. Ohno licks the come off of his hand and continues to thrust inside Sho faster now. Sho pushes himself closer and clenches around Ohno every time he dives in. It doesn’t take long until Ohno’s thrusts becomes erratic and he comes inside of Sho with a grunt.

Ohno pulls out slowly, and watches as his come falls out of Sho’s hole in fascination before falling onto the spot next to him, panting harshly at the exertion.

“That… that was quite pleasurable,” Sho says after a few moments. Ohno snorts and throws an arm across Sho’s chest.

“Would you do it again?” Ohno asks teasingly, scooting up close to him.

“I would,” Sho says truthfully. “I don’t have to do all the work for once—” Ohno smacks him on the shoulder lightly, making the other man laugh. “I’m only kidding!” he says, snickering.

Ohno grins and cups Sho’s face with his hand and leans in for a kiss. Sho kisses him back gently, their tongues locked in a sensual dance. When Ohno pulls away, Sho is grinning at him.

“I love you,” Sho says quietly, his voice fond, “thank you for giving me a second chance.” Ohno grins back at him and reaches for his hand.

“You’re worth it, Sho-kun. I love you too.”

Sho’s kisses have never tasted sweeter.

 

 

** Epilogue **

A few evenings later, Ohno takes Sho out to see the meteor shower after dinner. His grandparents both bid them a good night and Sho blushes when his grandpa makes a lewd remark about “romance” under the stars.

“Is your grandpa always like that?” Sho asks in astonishment and grabs Ohno’s hand as they make their way to the top of the hill. Ohno chuckles and squeezes Sho’s hand gently— Sho returns the gesture automatically.

“He likes teasing you,” Ohno replies amusedly as Sho grimaces at the answer.

“But why?” Sho whines childishly. Ohno smiles and tugs on Sho’s hand to get him to move faster.

“Hurry! I want us to get the best view.”

Once they reach the top of the hill, they both take a seat on the grass underneath a large tree. Ohno leans against the trunk.

“Do we know when it’s happening?” Sho asks as he scoots next to Ohno so that their shoulders are touching.

“Should be a few more minutes.”

They stare up at the sky in silence and Ohno glances at him out of the corner of his eye. Sho’s looking up at the sky patiently for the stars. His eyes are wide, and it makes him look so innocent… and Ohno knows that he wants to be with Sho for the rest of his life. Sho must have noticed his staring because he directs his gaze from the sky to meet his.

“Everything okay, Satoshi?” Sho asks in concern. Ohno smiles and shakes his head. He reaches out for Sho’s hand, curling his fingers around his lover’s. Sho looks at him in confusion but doesn’t press any further. They fall into another comfortable silence, watching the sky for any signs of activity. Just as Ohno is about to close his eyes for a little rest, Sho makes an excited noise. Ohno snaps his gaze up at the sky.

“Look, shooting stars!” Sho exclaims excitedly as he stares up at the night sky. “There's so many!”

Ohno smiles at the ecstatic expression in Sho’s eyes. He leans against his lover as Ohno watches the showers of stars begin to fall around them, creating a breathtaking dance in the sky.

“It’s so exquisite…” Sho whispers with delight, turning his gaze to meet Ohno’s. “And you do this with your grandfather almost every night? Catch them?” Ohno nods and they watch as more stars fall and shoot throughout the sky. “It's amazing…” he says in awe, his eyes full of fascination and boyish delight.

Ohno feels like the luckiest person in the world. There are issues they will eventually have to overcome—such as Sho’s parents and making their relationship public— but all that can wait. for now, they are just two men in love, having a nice date under the stars.

Sho looks at him with happiness and love in his eyes as Ohno chuckles and brings his lover's hand up to his lips, pressing a small kiss to the man’s knuckles. He smiles at him.

“What's so funny?” Sho asks, tightening his fingers around Ohno’s and sending him a look of amusement.

“You. Your excitement.” Ohno laughs.

Sho huffs at him in mocked anger and sticks his tongue out at him. “I can't help that it's my first time seeing something so beautiful. The ones back home do not compare. The stars… even if it's less compared to back home… it has a beauty that my old galaxy did not have. They're beautiful. I would love to see one up close,” he breathes in wonder.

Ohno yawns and leans against him, basking in the warmth of Sho’s body; it makes him want to sleep. He murmurs sleepily, “Shall I catch one for you then?”

 

 

_~The End~_


End file.
